Unfound
Chapter Thirty-Seven
"I've found something," Sam announced excitedly to the room. Only Harry and Dean were there. Jack and Teddy were with Sirius, who was tutoring Jack in Potions. Teddy didn't feel confident teaching the Nephilim because Potions had never been his strong suit. The only other subject that was off-limits between the two of them was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry thought that it should wait until they were in a place where less damage could be done.
Castiel had said that he was going on a supply run. Harry guessed that he just needed a breather.
Harry and Dean moved over to stand behind Sam's computer so that he could show them what he found.
"So, get this," he said.
"Murder Victims Vanish," the headline read.
"This is an article about a string of murders around the country that are being called in but when the police arrive, the body has disappeared and the person who called them didn't even remember doing so," he said. "Sound familiar?"
He scrolled so that they could keep reading.
"Alright," Dean said. "But wouldn't these be covered up? And why would Muggles be calling in these murders? If witches and wizards are being taken, shouldn't there be no evidence at all?"
"Maybe this problem is even bigger than we realized," Sam said. "Maybe so many people are being taken that MACUSA can't keep up."
"MACUSA isn't a particularly organized system of government, anyway," Harry said. "I'm not surprised that things have fallen through the cracks. They tend to fracture during moments of crisis."
Sam looked at Harry for more explanation.
He sighed. "I'm not an expert. But Hermione explained it to me when I came over here to work for them. She told me about a Muggle Civil War that happened in the 1820s."
"1860s, actually," Sam couldn't help but correct.
"Whatever," Harry said. "She said that before the war when people referred to the United States they referred to them as a plural. The United States are going to war. The United States are preventing immigrants from entering their border," he explained.
"Alright, but what…" Dean started to ask.
"I'm getting to the point," Harry said. "After the Civil War, it became singular, right? The United States is going to war. The US is allowing immigrants to come through Ellis Island. Well – wizards didn't participate in the Civil War. They retained the organizational structure that both governments had before the war. It's more of a league of nations, rather than one centrally-controlled governmental entity. Which made sense, because many of those "States" existed long before colonization. States have far more sovereignty under MACUSA than they do under the US Muggle government."
Sam was fascinated. He hadn't spent a lot of time learning about MACUSA, largely because he was more interested in learning actual magic, but he had a million questions. "So, what does that mean for diplomatic relations between MACUSA and other governments?"
"Sam, is now really the time?" Dean asked, annoyed. "They're disorganized. We got that. What does that mean for us?"
"It means that the Aurors they have controlled at the equivalent of the Muggle Federal level are spread thin always. And even more so when there is a crisis, so it is probably up to the states to try and solve the problem."
"And you think they aren't doing a good job?"
Dean snorted. "Cops are the same no matter what, aren't they? Useless."
"Hey!" Harry protested. "I was an Auror."
Dean didn't take his words back.
"But it's going to become a bigger problem because these have to be pretty bad if they've gotten to this level," Harry said.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"I mean this could become an issue of the International Statute of Secrecy," Harry said. "Hermione mentioned that there was a meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards coming up – so this has probably already become a worldwide problem." He took a deep breath. "Something like this could expose the entire wizarding world."
"And that would be bad?" Dean asked.
"Just as bad as the whole world finding out about the Supernatural, I imagine. And, honestly, it could be both at the same time. Especially if it's demons behind everything."
"Yeah, that'd be bad," Sam said.
"What do we do?" Dean asked.
"I'm not sure what we can do," Harry said. "It would help if we knew what was behind these attacks. This isn't normal demon behavior."
"No, it's not," Sam confirmed. "But we do know someone who might be able to tell us what's going on?"
Dean nodded in confirmation. "You want me to call him?"
"He hasn't answered the last couple of times I've tried," Sam said. "And I'd prefer not to give him a heads up."
"Alright. To the Dungeon," Dean said. "We've got a Demon to summon."
III
"Really boys?" Crowley asked, indignant. "I've got a mobile. I thought we'd been over this."
"You haven't been answering our calls," Dean pointed out.
"You haven't called me once, Squirrel," Crowley said. "And Moose is never very interesting. He always just wants to blab away – why are demons doing this blah blah, why won't you blah blah? It's endlessly boring. I helped you close the gateway to Limbo. What else do I need to do to prove we're on the same side?"
"We're not on the same side," Harry said.
"Ah, Do-Right. I kept your precious mutt safe, didn't I?"
"You kidnapped him and held him prisoner."
"Temporarily. And you can ask him – I treated him like royalty."
Sirius hadn't said much about his time with Crowley. He had only called the demon a wanker and left it at that.
"He had to escape!"
"He had to escape or did I let him escape? Come on, Do-Right, think for a second. I kept the Devil locked up for months. Do you think that I couldn't contain one measly wizard?"
"I – " Harry hadn't contemplated that much. Sirius had once escaped Azkaban, so he had given him all the credit. But it hadn't sounded like it had been all that difficult for him to leave Crowley's place in the same way.
"That's alright. Just let Moose do all your thinking for you. That's what Squirrel does."
"Crowley," Sam said, having already lost his patience. "What are you doing? There have been demon attacks on witches and wizards all over the country. Why?"
"Not all over the country, actually," Crowley responded. "All over the world."
"Why?" Dean repeated.
"Because the bloody British Men of Letters opened a door that can't be shut," Crowley said. "And before you ask and hurt my feelings, it's not me that's behind it."
"Then who is?"
Crowley raised an eyebrow. "Surely, I don't have to tell you? Come on boys, I know you're better than this."
"All the Knights and Princes of Hell are dead," Sam said.
"Are they? Did you see Asmodeus die?"
A shiver ran through Harry. "Gabriel – "
"Ah yes, your precious boyfriend. Gabriel did not kill Asmodeus when he escaped from his clutches. I'm sure he wanted to, if that makes you feel better. But he is alive and well. Just trapped in Limbo."
"If he's trapped in Limbo, how is he controlling demons here?" Dean asked.
"We have ways of talking between realms, idiot. How do you think Lucifer gave orders from the cage? How do you think that I kept my position when spending most of my time on Earth and not in Hell?"
"Can you teach us how?" Sam asked, desperate. Maybe they could contact their mom.
"Are you a demon?" Crowley asked him. "No. At least not at the moment. See, I gave you the information you wanted. And I didn't even ask for anything in return. Could you let me go now so I can go back to trying to FIX YET ANOTHER PROBLEM YOU MORONS CREATED?"
"He's not lying," came a voice from behind them. Castiel had returned to the Bunker and had been curious about where everyone was. He was surprised to find them with Crowley, of all people, there.
"Feathers?" Crowley asked, his eyes wide. "What did you idiots do?"
"What are you talking about?" Dean demanded.
"Please tell me that is someone else occupying the body of Jimmy Novak," Crowley said. "Anyone other than Castiel."
"It's me," Castiel responded. "Jimmy hasn't been here for a long time. This vessel is me."
"YOU MORONS!" Crowley shouted his repeat of the insult a sign of how truly angry and upset he was. "How could you bring him back? Do you know what this means?"
"It means we've got Cas back," Dean said, defensively.
"No, it means that – I've got to get out of here."
"You're not going anywhere until you tell us what the hell is going on," Sam said. "What does Cas being back have to do with any of this?"
"It has everything to do with it. That spell we used to close the portal to Limbo? The one that required a life, well, when that life is given back then it nullifies the spell doesn't it? If Feathers is here, it means that Asmodeus, and even worse, Lucifer are not far behind."
Harry felt sick.
"Now, if you don't mind…"
Castiel did a quick spell that opened the trap. Crowley left.
"What the hell, Cas?" Dean asked.
"We got what we needed from him. Harry – we don't have any time to waste. You need to get Jack and go now. Before it's too late. There is no place that will be safer and Lucifer won't think to look."
Harry nodded.
"I was hoping we'd have more time," he said.
"More time for what?" Sam asked.
Cas and Harry looked at each other.
"And since when are the two of you so buddy-buddy?" Dean asked, reeling from everything that just come to light.
"We're not," Harry insisted. "But we were talking the other night, and we've both talked to Jack and we think that it would be best for me to take him away from the Bunker."
"And now, if Asmodeus is out there, it is of even higher importance," Castiel added. "If he were able to get a hold of Jack, I don't need to tell you what the consequences would be."
"Jack's safe, here in the Bunker," Sam said.
"You're safe, here in the Bunker," Dean said to Harry.
"We are. But we can't stay here forever. If we didn't go crazy ourselves, we would drive the two of you nuts. You don't like Sirius being here anyway, so this solves that problem…"
"Wait, wait," Sam said, stopping Harry. "We can put up with Black if that means that you're here too. But you can't go back to England. Someone might recognize you. And you still don't have your full strength back, who is going to protect you?"
"Speak for yourself about the mutt," Dean muttered as Harry bristled.
"I can take care of myself," he said. "I don't need you and Dean to protect me."
"I would go with them," Castiel spoke up. "I can protect them both."
"Great, so you're taking Cas too?" Dean rounded on Harry.
"It was his idea in the first place!" Harry defended himself. Cas gave him a look as Sam and Dean glared at him. "Look, it wouldn't be forever. It's been a rough couple of months. This will give us all…time. To heal. To have some distance. And I can figure out what is happening on the wizarding side of things."
"Then take us with you," Sam said. "We can all go to England. Why leave Dean and me behind?"
Harry didn't want to answer that question. He also didn't know how to answer it without insulting both of his brothers.
"Because we're going to take Jack to Hogwarts," Castiel answered before Harry had to (but not soon enough that there wasn't an awkward silence that told Sam and Dean almost everything they needed to know).
"We can go to Hogwarts," Sam shot back.
"I can't," Dean said.
Sam looked at his brother with surprise. "Sure, you could. You went before for…"
"That was just for an afternoon. And I'm guessing that a lot of strings had to be pulled to get me in there," Dean said.
Harry shrugged. He had hardly been in a place to know what had to have been done to allow Muggles to come to Hogwarts. But Dean's lack of magic wasn't the real reason, in any case, and he didn't want his elder brother to think so. "It's not that," Harry said. "We didn't really hash out the details, but if demons are attacking all over the States, it wouldn't be right for us to take the best Hunters in the United States away."
Dean gave him a hard look. The flattery wasn't working.
"We don't have to figure this all out now," Harry said. "We can take a day or two – at least, to figure everything out."
"We should leave immediately," Castiel disagreed.
"Castiel…" Harry pleaded.
"No. Go ahead," Dean said, spitting anger. "Take the most powerful being in the world and leave us here alone. You know, I always knew it was just a matter of time before you left us. Go back to your precious wizarding world." He turned and stormed out of the room.
"Dean – " Harry said, moving to try and follow him out of the room.
"Don't," Sam said, not sounding too happy either. "You should have at least talked to us first." He left.
"That went well," Harry said under his breath.
"It did not," Castiel said with a frown. "But they'll get over it, they always do."
"You know, Castiel," Harry said, "one of these days they might not. I'm gonna go talk to Sirius. And pack. I know you want to leave right away, but I need at least until the morning. Can you give me that?"
"Sure, Harry," Castiel said, sounding sad.
"Good." Harry left, leaving Castiel standing in the dungeon by himself, wondering how he once again had ended up on the opposite side of Sam and Dean.
III
A couple of hours later, Harry had tried to talk to both Sam and Dean about it, but both were giving him the stony silent treatment. He couldn't say that he didn't understand – in their position he would be equally pissed.
He started packing the few things that he had in his room when someone knocked on his open doorway. He was hoping it would be Sam or Dean (more likely Sam) but, instead, it was Teddy standing there.
"Did Sam and Dean find another case?" He asked, noting that his godfather was packing.
"No," Harry said. "Or rather, it's the same case. But I'm not going on a Hunting trip."
Teddy raised his eyebrows.
Harry sighed. "Castiel and I are taking Jack to Hogwarts," he said. He paused and amended his statement. "Well, we're taking him to England first. I think if I showed up at Hogwarts' gates I might give McGonagall a heart attack, which, at her age, she can hardly afford."
"What about me?" Teddy asked.
"You can come with, of course, if you want. But you've told me repeatedly that you are an adult and I should let you make your own choices. I won't stop you if you choose to stay here with Sam and Dean." Harry had assumed that Teddy was going with them – and it was his preference, but he was done trying to force his own desires on the young man.
"Are you kidding? I want to go. I'm only here because you are," Teddy said.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
"When are we going?"
"Not sure yet. If Castiel had his way, we'd've left hours ago. But, telling Sam and Dean didn't go so well, so I'm hoping to patch things up with them before we go."
"They want you to stay here?"
"They do," Harry confirmed. "And it's not that I don't want to, but I don't see another way. It's not permanent."
"Have you told them that?"
"I didn't need to," Harry snapped. "Of course, they know that this is my home. I'm doing this for Jack's sake. And theirs."
"Have you told them that? Or did you go about it the typical Gryffindor way, just announce your intention and expect everyone else to fall in line?"
Harry gaped at Teddy.
"That's what I thought," he said. "You know – I know that using fists instead of words is both a Winchester family and Gryffindor trait, but you would think, in your advanced age, that you might have realized that talking about things helps."
"I've been trying to talk to them. Neither of them are particularly chatty."
Teddy rolled his eyes. "I'm shocked," he deadpanned. "You're all exactly the same. What would you like them to do, if the situation was reversed?"
"I – I wouldn't be such a bullheaded areshole about it," he said, not even really convincing himself.
Teddy laughed at him. "Right."
"Shut up."
"Just – be sure to make up with them before we go. I'm going to go pack and call Ben to let him know I'm leaving the country again. Maybe he'll have time to come to England this summer."
Teddy left Harry alone to his thoughts.
Not that he had long. His phone rang. He saw that it was Ginny. For a second, he considered not answering, not wanting any more difficult conversations today, but, since he was planning on returning to the UK, he figured he should probably give his friends and family a heads-up.
"Hey Gin," he answered.
"Not Ginny," came a cheery voice on the other end. "She's just letting me borrow her mobile."
"Oh, hey Ron," Harry said, relieved. "What's going on?"
"First – she told me about your conversation a couple of weeks ago," he said.
"Yeah, I told her I was sorry that I didn't call her more often but – "
"Not that, mate," Ron said. "She told me about the spell you had her cast."
"Oh. Oh! Yeah. Er – Sirius is back."
Silence on the other end.
"It's a long story," Harry said quickly. "I'll tell you soon. But it's him. I've got him here at the Bunker with Sam and Dean."
"I just can't believe it," Ron said.
"I know. Me neither, some days."
"Is he…ok?"
Harry laughed. "I'm not sure that he ever was, but yeah, he's sane and everything. A little battle-worn, but he looks the same, which is creepy considering that we're basically the same age now."
There was another slight pause. "Why didn't you call us?"
Harry blinked. He hadn't even considered telling Ron and Hermione. The thought made him feel guilty. "I don't know," he answered honestly.
"We'd love to see him," Ron said. Harry could hear the hurt in his voice.
"Funny you should mention that…"
III
Dean gladly accepted the beer that Sam brought him to his room. He had been stewing in there for a couple of hours. Largely to avoid Harry, who he was furious with.
"We gonna let him do this?" He asked his youngest brother.
Sam took a sip of his own beer. "I'm not entirely sure we could stop him, even if we wanted to. Not with Cas on his side."
"We'd find a way," Dean grumbled.
"Yeah, but at what cost?"
Dean didn't have a response to that.
"I just got off the phone with Charlie," Sam said.
"Our Charlie?"
"Yeah. Our Charlie. She called me to fill me in on what is happening in the wizarding world. She and Luna were hanging out with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, and honestly, it sounds bad. Scores of witches and wizards are missing. Some have turned up dead – magic completely drained from their bodies."
Dean drew in a breath. "You think that it's Asmodeus?"
"I don't know who else it could be," Sam said. "And if Crowley said was right…if Cas being back means that portals to Limbo can be opened again, then…"
"He could be back. I still don't see why that means that we have to send the kid off to Hogwarts. Especially if that means we'll be two men down."
"It's the safest place that they know of," Sam said.
Dean looked at him incredulously. "How many times was Harry nearly killed while he went there?"
"Yeah – but that's Harry."
"And?"
"And he's got the Winchester luck," Sam said.
Dean grunted in agreement.
"It's my understanding that, when he was Head Auror, Harry got a lot of the security issues fixed. To the point that he wasn't always so popular with the students."
"You're telling me you're ok with this?"
"No. I'm not. I'd prefer that we all work on this…together. But until Harry gets his powers back, as good as he may be with a gun, he's got a huge target on his back. One so big that I'm not sure that we could keep him safe. And I bet there is something in that library that will help him figure out just what's happening with his powers."
"And the kid?"
Sam sighed. "Jack's strong. But he seems to be thriving on wizarding magic. It's the summer – there won't be any kids there and the staff is all highly trained and skilled witches and wizards. He won't pose the same sort of threat to them that he would to the civilian population here. Or even to you and me."
"So, you're fully on board now."
"I didn't say that," Sam said. "I still don't like it. But you and I – were going to have our hands full trying to figure out what's going on here. If Harry's right about MACUSA, I think we're going to be needed. Otherwise, I'd insist on going with them."
"Crowley knows more than what he's saying."
"Crowley always knows more than he's saying. Maybe with him, we'll actually be able to get out ahead of this thing. And, if Lucifer does return…"
"Then Jack will be far, far, away," Dean said. He hated that both his younger brothers were right. "Fine," he finally agreed. "But this is going to take a lot of research, so you better give Harry a long list of things that he needs to research while he's at Hogwarts."
Sam snorted. "You want me to give him homework?"
Dean's eyes glinted. "Yeah. We know that he hates researching, it's a good enough punishment for going behind our backs with Cas."
Sam couldn't hold back his laugh. "Let's go see if they need any help getting ready?"
"Ok," Dean said, getting up from the bed. "But no hugs. We ain't chicks."
"Right, we're manly men, I'll never forget," Sam said with an eye roll. "Let's go."
III
Asmodeus still knew the location of the Bunker that the Winchesters called their home. He wondered if they were stupid enough to still be living there. Maybe they thought that he wasn't a threat anymore, because he had been stuck in Limbo. But he wasn't going to take any chances that they might be prepared for him.
And knowing the location and how to get in were two different things.
Asmodeus wasn't a fool, despite what his father thought. He knew that since he had found a way out of that hellish dimension that the archangels wouldn't be far behind.
At first, he had been hoping to tap into his contact with the British Men of Letters. That organization might be tricked into helping him with his goal.
It was to his great disappointment to find that they had been all but demolished. And those who did remain had scattered to the wind.
Except for one little petal.
A mercenary to his core.
"You rang?" came the British drawl of his informant.
"Yes, Mr. Ketch. We are not previously acquainted, but I have heard of your work and I'm a fan. I was hopin' we could come to an agreement of sorts."
"If the price is right."
Asmodeus laughed. "I thought you might say that." He snapped his fingers. A demon came forward with a small case. He opened it for the man in front of them.
Only a brief second of excitement shone on the British man's face. But it was enough that Asmodeus knew that he had the man.
"That'll do," he said. "I'm at your service. What would you like?"
With a smirk, Asmodeus said, "Very good. I'd like to know everything that you know about the location of the Men of Letters Bunker in Kansas."
III
Charlie smiled as they hit the ground back in the United States. All the globe-trotting had made her adventure-loving heart so happy but there was no place like home.
Life with Luna was never dull. She had never felt as completely accepted by someone as she had been by Luna. Every day was something new. But even if they were just sitting around reading books, Luna was who she would want to be doing it with.
They rarely fought. When they did it was when they were both overly stressed. Charlie would get jealous when Luna spent time with Ralph. Luna would get impatient when Charlie hyper fixate and sometimes disappear for days on end on some sort of side quest.
But the makeup sex was incredible.
It was nice also, that they would be in Charlie's element for once, not Luna's.
Sam was waiting for them at the parameter of where the Bunker's wards were. Since having half the DA there, they had tightened up security so not just anyone could portkey in. He smiled when he saw them.
"Charlie, Luna, it's good to see you," he gave them both hugs.
"You too, Samuel," Luna said.
"We wish it were under better circumstances," Charlie added.
Sam shrugged. "It's us – I don't know that better circumstances exist. At least we're not facing an apocalypse."
"Yet," Charlie finished for him.
They started walking towards the entrance of the Bunker.
"Yes." He noticed that they both had bags with them. "Are you planning on staying?"
"If you'll have us," Charlie said. "Hermione wants eyes and ears in the United States and we were happy to volunteer."
"Are you employed by the Ministry of Magic now?" Sam asked.
"Nah," Charlie said. "The computers I've made for witches and wizards can bypass a lot of the security that big companies use. No IP address, you see, so I'm able to hack enough funds that we don't need to be officially on anyone's payroll."
"Plausible deniability for them or you?" Sam asked with amusement.
Charlie and Luna looked at each other.
"Bit of both," Luna answered.
"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you want, or need," Sam said. "Dean will prefer having you two as roommates over Sirius Black. Honestly, as much as I hate to see Harry leave, I'm not sure how much longer we could have lived together without coming to blows."
"I can't wait to meet him," Charlie said. "You know – he's the only person to successfully break out of Azkaban without help from anyone on the outside?"
Somewhere in the back of Sam's mind, he did know that. "Yeah, well, he's also a kidnapper and he won't stop pranking our stuff, so we'll be happy to see the back of him."
"I have heard that he loves practical jokes," Luna said. "I don't enjoy them very much either, Sam."
Sam held the door open to let them inside the Bunker.
Everyone was gathered in the front room. Harry, Jack, Teddy, and Sirius were standing on one side of the table, with Dean and Castiel on the other.
"Castiel!" Charlie cried out in excitement. She ran down the stairs and gave him a big hug. It took him a second to get over the shock of the petite redhead crashing into him before he returned it. "They said you died!" She smacked him on the arm, lightly. "Way to tell your friends you were back," she said.
Castiel gave her a shy smile. He had forgotten that she had declared them to be best friends. He liked this young woman. "It's good to see you too, Charlie."
"What am I, chopped liver?" Dean scoffed. "Haven't seen you in forever."
Charlie immediately went over and hugged him as well.
"Good to see you, kiddo," he said to her.
"You too."
Harry cleared his throat. "I believe some introductions are in order. Charlie, Luna, this is my godfather, Sirius Black," he said, indicating to a skinny man with high cheekbones and laugh lines on his face. "Sirius, this is Charlie Bradbury, a good friend of ours, and Luna Lovegood, my friend from Hogwarts."
He smiled at both of them and offered a hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Luna," he said. "I hear that you were there that night to try and help save me. Thank you."
Luna smiled. "I was happy to help. I'm sorry we didn't get to meet until now."
"Can you really turn into a dog?" Charlie blurted out.
Sirius looked at her. "Yes, I can, would you like – "
"No!" Dean said. "No dogs in the Bunker," he said sternly. "If you want to show her your mumbo jumbo, you can take that outside. I don't want the smell of dog in here."
Sirius looked like he was going to argue, but Harry cut him off. "Also, this is Jack, he's…"
"Beautiful," Luna said dreamily, looking at him as though he could see through him. "I expected you to be magnificent, but you're even more extraordinary than I could have imagined."
Jack was taken aback. There was something about this woman – he could tell that she was being completely truthful and that she really saw him. "What are you?" He asked.
"Jack!" Sam reprimanded.
"It's alright, Sam," Luna said. "I'm just someone who sees. It's nice to meet you, Jack."
"You too," he said with a question at the end of his voice, a little unnerved by her.
"Well, you ready to get this show on the road?" Dean asked. Now that it was decided, he just wanted to get on with it, so that they could get on the road and see how many people they could help. And he'd never admit it, but it would be nice not to have to deal with the drama that always seemed to occur when Harry was around. Back to basics – him and Sam.
"I suppose we'll want to get to Hogwarts before dark," Harry said. "Ron and Hermione are already there?"
"Yes," Luna said. "They went to talk with Headmistress McGonagall. Everything should be ready. But the portkeys are set for Hogsmeade, just in case.
"Someplace quiet?" Harry asked.
"The Shrieking Shack," Luna said.
"They haven't demolished that place yet?" Harry asked. He had personally made sure that the secret passage that took students from the Whomping Willow to the shack was filled in. He was sure that the dilapidated building would have come down by now.
"No, they've transformed it, actually," Luna said. "It's now a place where students who don't have a place to go for holidays from Hogwarts can go to and spend their breaks if they don't want to stay in the castle. It's quite nice. But they don't have any students this summer, so it's sitting empty."
"We're going to have to go outside the wards again to have you take that portkey," Sam said.
"Alright, then we'll say our goodbyes here. I'd like to have a private word with Sam and Dean before we go. I'll meet you out there?" Harry said.
"Harry are you sure…?" Sirius started to ask.
"Yes, Sirius, I'll be fine. I promise you that they won't convince me to stay."
"That's not what I was going to say!"
"Sure."
Dean looked like he was going to throw one last insult at Sirius but wisely stopped by a look given to him by Sam.
The whole group headed out, leaving just the Winchester brothers in the Bunker.
It was a bit of a relief to Dean, who wasn't used to sharing his space with so many people.
"Look – I know this isn't what you two wanted, but I don't want to leave after fighting," Harry said. "Teddy reminded me to use my words. Guys – I appreciate everything you've done for me. And this is temporary. As much as I love England and my friends there, I would never abandon my family."
"Harry – " Sam started.
Dean interrupted, "We know," he said gruffly. "And we get it. It's the smart move," he looked like those words physically pained him.
"Are we good then?" Harry asked.
"We're good," Sam said.
"Yeah, what he said," Dean agreed. "Just – take care of yourself."
"I always do, don't I?" He managed to keep a straight face for a couple of seconds before all three of them burst into laughter.
Sam patted him on the shoulder. "We'll miss you, Harry. But having you at Hogwarts will be great. I have some books I'd like you to look into that may help us figure out how to get back to mom. I made a list from memory, but be sure to talk to Madame Pince and Hermione because they might have other ideas." He handed Harry a piece of paper with a list of about fifteen books on it.
Harry groaned.
Dean gave him a shit-eating grin. "Better you than me," he said.
"Yeah, yeah. Sam – you know how to maintain the wards?" He asked, worried. "With Asmodeus potentially back, I'm worried that he'll come looking for me here."
"I've got it," Sam said. "You showed me. Castiel showed me. Teddy showed me again. I think I've got it down."
"At this point, even I know the steps," Dean said.
"Good, good. I – " Harry wasn't quite sure what to say. All of sudden, this seemed like the worst idea ever. What was he thinking? Was this the right thing?
"We know," Sam said. "Now, get going, or you'll miss the portkey."
Harry nodded. "Yeah. Alright. Just – call me if you need anything? And let me know what you find out?"
"Of course," Dean said. "Now, get."
Harry grabbed his duffle bag and nodded. "See you soon," he said.
"See you soon," Sam agreed.
Harry left, a sinking feeling in his gut.
III
"That was fun!" Jack said when they landed in the Shrieking Shack. Castiel had a similar happy look on his face. Harry had forgotten how much the angel had enjoyed it. Even he liked it more than before he had gotten his now-useless wings.
Harry briefly looked around at where they were. It certainly looked very different from the last time he had seen it.
Gone were the holes in the ceiling and wrecked siding. Everything was covered in drywall and nicely painted in soothing tan colors. They were currently standing in a dining room, with a long table and many chairs along both sides.
"This sure has changed since I was last here," Sirius remarked.
"It's nice, but I thought that Hogwarts would be bigger," Jack said, looking at Teddy.
Teddy grinned. "This isn't Hogwarts, here come over here," he led Jack to the window and drew back the curtain, revealing the castle.
"Woah," Jack said.
"Yeah. It's beautiful, isn't it?" Teddy said with fondness.
"It's – wow," Jack said. "Castiel, do you see what I see?"
Castiel went over to the window to look out, he looked taken aback. "That's – incredible," he said.
"What's incredible?" Harry frowned, glancing out the window and just seeing Hogwarts as he always did. It was home but otherwise, he wasn't sure what Castiel and Jack were seeing.
"It's protected," Jack said.
"It's more than protected," Castiel said. "It's blessed. I – I've never seen anything like it outside of Heaven."
"Blessed by God?" Harry asked.
Castiel shook his head. "Gabriel, I believe. I'd have to look more closely, but I think he built the blessing to be added to by those who loved magic and this place. And this is a very beloved building."
"It is," Harry agreed.
"Oh, good, you made it," came a familiar voice, out of breath, from the doorway.
Harry smiled. "Hey, Ron!" He said, happy to see his friend. He quickly made his way across the room and threw his arms around his best friend.
"Good to see you too, mate. And – Sirius?" Ron asked as he pulled away from Harry.
Sirius smiled. "It's good to see you, Ron," he also gave the redhead a brief handshake.
"I can't believe it," he said. "You – you don't look a day older. But healthier."
"All that clean living in hell dimensions," Sirius laughed. "I was a bit of a mess back then, wasn't I?"
Ron just ducked his head. He looked up at the rest of the party and happiness from his face drained. "What is he doing here?" He asked angrily.
"Jack? I told you that I'd be bringing him," Harry said, frowning slightly because that was the only person that Ron didn't know here. He didn't think that he would have put that must stock in the whole Devil's son thing.
"Not the kid," Ron said. "That murdering arsehole."
Harry's eyes went wide. "Oh. Castiel has been helping us. I mentioned that, didn't I?"
"You bloody did not," Ron said, his eyes blazing. He pulled his wand out, ready to advance on the angel, who was standing eerily still.
"Stop that," Harry snapped. "Castiel's changed."
"Is that still the angel that killed you?" Ron shot back, although he had listened to Harry.
"It is, but he's changed." Ron didn't look convinced and he balled his fist as if he was about to strike. Harry grabbed his arm before he could. "You'd regret that," Harry said. "Look, everything that happened with Castiel is water under the bridge."
"I – uh, am very sorry for what transpired between Harry and myself," Castiel said awkwardly.
"Sorry? You're fucking sorry? Do you know what you did?"
"Ron, that's enough," Harry said. "Castiel and I have talked. We're fine. I trust him."
"You…what? How can you possibly? How could Sam and Dean even allow…?"
"Ronald, I would ask if we could reserve this conversation until after we've reached the castle," Castiel said formally. "You are welcome to yell at me all you want when we are safe."
"Like hell, I'm going to let that bastard enter Hogwarts!"
"Ron, it's fine," Harry repeated. "Come on. We've got every angel and demon in the world looking for us, let's get to safety."
Ron looked like he was going to refuse but Teddy came to the rescue. "Come on, Uncle Ron," he said. "You know that I was pretty angry at Castiel too. He's alright. You'll see."
With a huff, Ron turned. "Follow me," he said. "I've got a carriage waiting for us."
III
"Now what?" Dean asked after they had caught up with Charlie and Luna.
"I think we should head out," Sam said. "Charlie and Luna can continue to do research here, and we can try and start seeing if there is a pattern between these demon attacks."
"Where do we even start?"
Sam pulled out a computer printout. "Recently, the attacks seem to be occurring on the Eastern seaboard. The most recent one that I can identify is just outside of Boston."
Dean groaned. "That's a long drive."
"Since when do you complain about long drives?" Sam asked, amused.
"Since I've had a bed that remembers me," Dean said. "And we just got the Bunker back. Alright. I'll pack the cooler – you'll get Charlie and Luna set up?"
"Yeah. Meet at the car in fifteen?"
III
Harry gave one of the Thestrals that had carted them up to the castle an absent-minded pat on the nose. It gave him a quick lick. It had seemed particularly pleased with him. He decided not to think about that too much.
"Headmistress," he said, when he spotted his old professor, waiting for them just outside the castle doors. As soon as he had seen her, he had bounded up the stairs to beat everyone else to her. "I am so glad to see you again."
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. This was quite alarming because Harry had never known her to be an emotional person.
"Mr. Potter – Harry," she said almost reverently. "I can't – I… Mr. Weasley told me, but…"
"I've missed you too, Minerva," Harry said. "Thank you for taking us in on such short notice," he indicated behind him.
"Mr. Lupin, you're looking well," she said to Teddy who was just behind Harry. "And – Mr. Black."
"Minnie!" He said with a smile, pulling her into a hug that seemed to startle her. "I can't believe that you're still here."
"Well, I may not be for much longer," she said. "I swore that if there were ever a Black, a Potter, and a Lupin in this castle at the same time again, I would retire immediately." Her voice softened. "But as surprised as I am to see Mr. Potter, I'd expect this sort of thing out of him. I never, in a million years, thought that you'd be back."
"Me neither," Sirius said. "We'll tell you all about it. But I believe the grumpy arsehole behind me will bust a nut if we don't get inside."
"Language, Mr. Black! There are children present."
Sirius just grinned as they walked inside.
"Professor McGonagall," Harry said formally. "I'd like you to meet Castiel and Jack. Castiel, Jack, Minerva was my favorite professor from my time here at Hogwarts."
"That's not true and you know it, Mr. Potter," she reprimanded.
Harry grinned. It was an old joke between the two of them. "You're right. A close second after Professor Snape," he winked. "He beat you by a nose."
McGonagall ignored the comment and turned to the two she didn't know. "It is my pleasure to welcome you to Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley tells me that you're…" she looked like she couldn't quite believe what was going to come out of her mouth, "angels?"
"I am an Angel of the Lord, yes," Castiel said.
"I'm not," Jack said cheerfully after having craned his neck to take in every part of the entrance hall. "I'm a Nephilim. Could I get sorted?"
"A…Nephilim?"
"His mother was human and his father is an archangel," Castiel explained.
"You are not his father?"
"He is!" Jack said. "But he's not the one who impregnated my mother. That was Lucifer. We don't talk about him."
"L- lucifer," she said.
"It's a long story," Harry said.
"I look forward to hearing it," she said faintly. "The house elves have prepared dinner in the Great Hall. I believe the word of your return spread far and there is more food in there than the entirety of Gryffindor house could eat in a week. They wanted very badly to please you, Harry."
"I can't wait," Harry said.
"Is there anything…special that your friends eat?" She asked as if she didn't really want to know the answer.
"Oh, no, I don't eat," Castiel said.
"I like Cookie Crunch," Jack said.
"He'll eat regular food," Harry assured her. "Although he does have a sweet tooth."
"Oh good," she said.
They went into the Great Hall.
Since it was summer the formal setup had been replaced. Instead of a head table with all the house tables in neat rows, it was a single table that had a dozen chairs around it. It was completely covered in food.
"You weren't kidding about the house elves were you?" Harry asked.
"Indeed not," she said with a sigh. "Currently, I am the only one in residence, as per Minister Granger-Weasley's request. The rest will be returning in the next couple of days, though. The food should keep. Please, everyone, have a seat. You must be hungry."
It wouldn't have mattered if they were hungry or not. The food looked and smelled so good that it would have been impossible to pass up, even if they had all just eaten a feast.
McGonagall sat at the head of the table. Harry sat next to her. Once he saw that everyone else (except for Castiel) was eating, he turned all his attention to her. "I expect that you'll be wanting an explanation?"
She gave him a look that he did not need help interpreting. "How much do you know?"
"Assume that I know nothing, and start from the beginning," she said.
"I hope you have a while."
"I do."
Harry took a deep breath. "Alright. I guess this all started when the Archangel Gabriel wouldn't leave me alone…"
Hello friends! Happy Friday.
Next chapter we'll finally get to move forward in time a bit – I feel like we've been on the same couple of days for ages.
For ff dot net readers – I will be on the road for the next two Fridays, which means that I will not be able to update here. I will update on Ao3, if you still want to read it as I update. Otherwise, I will put up the missed chapters as soon as possible when I get home.
As always, thank you to everyone who reviews, comments, and reads. I wouldn't be here without y'all!
