Disclaimer: SN and HP belong to their creators/publishers.
Warning(s) and Notes about this chapter: Please Read
First of all, some things mentioned in this chapter are of no reflection to In Flanders Fields personal beliefs.
Secondly, I know that James Potter never lived long enough in J.K. Rowling's books to hold a job outside of Hogwarts, but considering the events are pushed back 10 or so years, he had to have some kind of backstory/job description.
I am also aware that the MoM pays the tuition to Hogwarts but I have my reasons for including what I do.
True to John's word, the Winchester's put down what seemed to be semi-permanent roots at Bobby's- and at least until the promised letter arrived, there was no talk about going on anymore hunts. Bobby, in his credit, didn't seem to mind the extra company too much. Even if only for the fact that he was just as curious about the Henry as the rest of them were.
Emotions ran high during that week but all that was forgotten as they stared at the thick piece of parchment paper John held in his hand.
"This, hands-down, has to be the strangest school ever," Dean said eyeing the parchment paper warily. "Who uses parchment these days? I bet he wrote this with a quill pen using nothing more than candlelight."
"I don't know about the candlelight part, but I'd say you're spot on about the quill pen," Bobby said examining the addressed letter.
This school's "traditions" were getting stranger and stranger, if that was the case.
John looked carefully at the address that was on the front of the envelope. He wanted Sam to type the address into his computer so that he could get an idea of what his son's boarding school looked like. Although he knew it was located in Scotland, he knew nothing else about the school, or why Henry went to that particular school when there was surely a school that would have suited him just fine in Surrey. Hopefully, this letter would address some of these questions.
When Sam had looked up the address, at first he could find very little about the school. At first, Sam found nothing about the school, not deterred, Sam continued to search.
After much clicking and scrolling, Sam finally found a promising, if not a bit vague, lead:
"Located in a castle on the Scottish Highlands, the school is thought to be one of the oldest schools still in use today. It is known throughout the UK and Europe for its exclusive one-of-a-kind education and for being one of the most selective schools in the UK, however, 'sister schools,' or schools with a similar application process, and curriculum do exist.'
'The cost of tuition per term is unknown, however, all seven years of tuition is covered in full by scholarship. The requirements of the scholarship and the application process is not immediately available, only that the scholarship must be awarded for a child to attend. The school has served generations of the same prominent families within the UK and will proudly continue to serve those same families for generations to come, however, in recent years, the school has seen a growth of students who come from working-class families. It is unclear if the school's Board of Governors or the current Headmaster/Head Mistress decides the new class each year.'
'It is not unheard of for the wealthy families to set up an education fund for their child/children to use during their time at the school as all school supplies as well as any extracurricular items and any outside excursions allowed by the school are not covered by tuition."
At the end of the passage, Sam stopped reading and thought about what he'd just read.
"Wow! I can't believe he actually sleeps and attends classes in a castle!" Sam marveled, deeply impressed at the sound of such a grand school. An actual castle, Henry's school was located an actual castle. Sam wanted to believe it was like a full-fledged Medieval one complete with towers and probably a dungeon, not some modern-day replica of one. He was not a sappy romantic (no matter what Dean said) but the thought of going to a boarding school that was located within the walls of an actual castle… Wow!
"Bet it would be a dream come true for you, Princess," Dean grouched, but he couldn't believe it either. Just how well off were Henry's deceased adoptive parents for them to be able to afford to send him to a goddamn school that was located inside a freaking castle? They must have been loaded.
John hated to admit it, was thinking along those same lines. He was impressed, with the Sam had managed to find in his research. What very little information the internet offered sure made it out to be an exclusive school that educated multiple generations of some of the wealthiest and most noble families in the UK. He would have been hard pressed, not to be impressed with information like that, particularly when it was one of his son's that was receiving an education that he would never be able to afford.
John wondered if the Potter's had arranged funds to make sure Henry went to the school as the woman had mentioned that it had been both of the Potter's had attended. He wouldn't have been surprised if they had. If they had that much money to set aside for seven years of schooling for a kid that wasn't even biologically there's, John felt that he should be grateful that the Potter's had at least attempted to give his son as good of an education as money could apparently buy- if the story on the internet was anything to buy into.
He thought that some of what the school seemed to focus on was weird and unnecessary but he was comparing it to the U.S. school system. He knew nothing about what kind of school system they had over there in the UK. Maybe it was common for castles to be converted into schools over there and maybe the UK put an emphasis on teaching the young generation things that the American school system overlooked such as writing with a quill pen.
But John had been on earth too long and had seen too much to truly believe such a thing. They might be an ocean apart, but John knew that such distance should not matter. Schools, even if they were located in Scotland, should not be teaching children how to write with quill pens and parchment paper, maybe that is what the school meant when they said it had a one-of-a-kind education. For it must certainly be one-of-a-kind because there were many old schools and universities located in England and its surrounding countries that did not require students to learn how to write with quill pens.
Opening up the letter, he felt the weight of the heavy parchment. He did not immediately read his son's letter, instead, he took the time to observe his son's penmanship. A fountain pen could have very easily been used in place of a quill pen, but given the type of paper used, John thought it seemed more probable that a quill pen was used. Though again, the whole notion of using quill pens and fountain pens for everyday writing just seemed absurd, it was the twenty-first century they were in.
It was written in a childish scribble, yet somehow, it held a sense of maturity about it. There were no random blotches of ink scattered around the paper that one might expect from a beginner nor was there any heavy-handed strokes that would show clumsiness with the inkwell. While the writing was in no way calligraphy, it did have a neatness to it that made John wonder just how much writing this school required of its students, and how much was done using such archaic methods. No twelve-year-old in this day and age should be this proficient with a quill pen.
Dear Sir,
John started out reading it to the room at large.
What twelve-year-old began his letters with "dear sir"? Although it was good that his guardians had instilled manners into him.
You probably don't know who I am or why I am writing, but I am your son, Henry Winchester. My professors said that I should write to you and introduce myself since I just found out that you are my father and because we don't know anything about each other. So, er, here goes.
I like to go by Harry and I am twelve years old. I am currently in my second year at the boarding school I attend. It's located in Scotland, but I live in Surrey with my aunt and uncle during the summer months….
John trailed off when it became clear he wasn't going to be heard over the cacophony of noise.
"Is he just going to ignore the fact that his school is a castle?" Sam asked incredulously.
"If he says his uniform involves a kilt I will disown him," declared Dean, cause no brother of his would be caught dead in a kilt, it just wasn't manly. Ladies weren't attracted to men wearing skirts, they liked men who drove around in classic cars.
"What?" Dean said defensively when Sam looked at him with an I-can't-believe-you're-my-brother look.
There hadn't been any mention of any school uniforms, yet at least, as John supposed it wasn't uncommon for boarding schools to have uniforms. John could have ignored the exchange, but some of the things that came out of Dean's mouth…
"You are not going to disown your brother over something as silly as a kilt! It does not matter that he lived with another family for most of his life, he is your brother and family sticks together. Maybe in Scotland, it is not uncommon for schools to be located inside castles. Those things can be addressed in your own letters to him, now if you two can shut-up for a moment, I'd like to see what else Henry has to say."
"Yes, sir." The two men mumbled, they would be addressing their "concerns" in their letters to their brother.
I have two best mates here at school. Ronald, or Ron, for short, who has five older brothers and one younger sister. Ron was the first person I met at school and we have been friends ever since. Hermione, my other friend, is the smartest girl in our year, but she didn't become our friend until Halloween night back in our first year. She forces Ron and me to study all the time and sometimes makes us redo our homework- she's always making Ron redo his, but she lets us copy her notes and helps us with our work so we don't mind. Mostly.
When we are not attending class or making endless trips to the Library, because Hermione is in need of another book for some "light reading", Ron and I like to play sports together. I have a position on one of the school's teams, it's my second year holding the position. First years aren't usually allowed to play on a team, but there was an opening so I, er, landed it. Unfortunately, the Headmaster is not allowing any of us to play this year, but that does not mean Wood isn't making us practice. It doesn't leave me much time to sleep or write as usually we have to either practice late in the evening or get up at five in the morning and practice before breakfast three to four times a week.
James, my um, adoptive dad, was also on the team when he was my age. He played a couple of different positions while here at school and won loads of trophies and even has a badge with his name on it! One day, I hope to have my name placed right beside his in the trophy room.
"The kid must really like sports," Dean whistled. "Which is good, it probably means the kid can run. But he never said what sport it was he played. Probably soccer. They play that or Cricket over there right? Good thing he's not a band geek. If he said he played the bagpipes while wearing a kilt…" Dean said with a shutter.
Everyone ignored Dean.
"He's written more, maybe he mentions what sport he play's," Bobby spoke up for the first time peering at the letter in John's hand trying to get away from talking about sports and kilts.
"Maybe," John responded with a frown, it didn't look like it.
All my professors expect me to follow in my dad's footsteps and become a police officer when I grow up. I guess it's because I look a lot like him, except I have mum's eyes. Hermione says being a police officer is a very dangerous job, but she also thinks playing sports is dangerous and the rules are barbaric. Ron and I think it's just because it is the one thing she was not good at.
I suppose being a police officer could be dangerous- catching the bad guys and all, but it is a noble profession that everyone looks up to and it pays really well too. You have to get top grades in everything while at school and you have to have very good recommendations from a lot of people so it's kind of hard to get in, but as long as it's not Snape, sorry, Professor Snape give them, I should be okay. He doesn't like me because I look so much like dad and dad used to call him names when they attended school here. Ron wants to be a police officer too, maybe we could be partners one day! We're already partners in most of our classes and we spend a lot of time together so we know each other really well.
I have to go now so that I can give Professor McGonagall this letter so that she could send it before Post tomorrow.
I don't know when this will reach you because of the distance, but Professor McGonagall promised that you would write back. So um, I guess I will wait to hear back from you.
Harry
When John stopped reading, the room, for once, remained quiet as they all tried to take in what they had just heard.
So his adoptive dad had been a police officer. John had never really put much thought into a policeman's salary. He knew that a typical American cop made a fairly modest salary, more than some, but they weren't getting rich either. Maybe police made more over there than they did here. It sure sounded like the requirements were a bit more.
John wasn't sure if he liked how the kid appeared to be pushed to do a certain job after leaving school. He was only twelve, he should not be compared to his father so closely nor should he be expected to pick up where his father left off. Of course, he was a hypocrite for believing such a thing- it wasn't like he had not forced Sam and Dean to join him on hunts, but he hadn't put up too much fuss when Sam had decided to go off to college.
"So that girl, Hermione, thinks being a police officer is dangerous." Dean chuckled to himself.
"Wonder what she'd think about what we do, hunting and killing monsters? Now that's dangerous."
"Yeah, but it sounds like being a police officer could be dangerous," Sam said with worry. He hadn't even met Henry and he was already worrying about him.
Dean didn't seem to be too worried, he was of course, as he now had another, even younger, kid brother to worry about but he wasn't convinced that being a police officer could be as dangerous as what they did, no matter what his twelve-year-old kid brother said. If only he knew just what the job description of being a "police officer" entitled.
"Wonder why the headmaster isn't allowing the kid to play this year? Was it just him or the whole team?"
"Probably the whole school, if the Headmaster said it. I don't know though, ask him in the letter. I am going to ask him what sport it is he plays. He never mentioned it. Guess he was too excited about it. Don't know if I can handle talking sports 24/7," mused Dean.
John just sat back and listened to his sons. He looked at Bobby, he hadn't said much throughout this whole ordeal, probably because he had never met his other son. Bobby knew about what happened of course, but Mary and he had never gotten around to showing off their newest addition to him before Henry had disappeared.
But Bobby seemed to more interested in hearing what Dean and Sam were saying to say anything.
"Well, at least he has Hermione to help him focus on school," Sam said approvingly. He had always viewed school as the way to move on from hunting. He appreciated what his father had taught him throughout his and Dean's childhood but he did not know if he wanted to do that kind of work his whole life. If he wanted to bring a family up in that kind of environment.
He for one would be encouraging Henry to become a police officer or whatever else his heart desired.
"So are you going to be telling him about, you know?" All eyes now fell on John. John didn't answer at first.
"I don't know. Probably not, the woman has already said that these arrangements are just for the summer and that he would be attending school again in the fall. No need to get him involved if we don't have to. Henry needs to focus on school not hunting. I was hoping Bobby would allow him to stay here with you two, at least until he got more familiar with us."
"What? I am not going to stay behind, I want to join you in your hunts." Dean exclaimed.
Sam didn't say anything.
"You need to be here with Sam and help him out, Dean. Henry will need both of you. He's lived all but three months of his life in England, this is going to be new to him. Henry's going to need someone to help him adjust and it will give you three a time to bond before he goes back to that school of his. Should everything work out and he spends the summer here, I am going to leave it up to you and Sam to make sure that he gets settled in." John said, sending Dean a look.
Dean made a face but wisely kept his mouth shut.
"He's going to need you too," Sam whispered, but John heard it anyway.