Chapter 4

Severus motioned to a comfortable looking arm chair in front of the fireplace. "Have a seat, Mister Winchester." His words slowly rolled off his tongue.

Dean traveled over to it and sat down. Sam followed and sat in the chair across from him.

Severus stood over him menacingly, a hand on each of Dean's armrests.

"Be gentle with me, it's my first time." Dean messed.

"Cheeky. How very like Potter you are." said Severus through his teeth. He paused for a moment, creating a bit of dramatic tension, and then stood upright and began to pace slowly as he continued to speak. "I shall attempt to use Legilimency on you, the art of delving into the mind of another to seek their memories and emotions. You will attempt to keep me out of your mind using Occlumency. We will begin, Mister Winchester, with you clearing your mind. Wipe it clean. Clear the slate . . . if you can manage that." he said with a biting tone.

Dean breathed in deep and let it out slowly. He didn't like the idea one bit, but what the hell could he do when all eyes were on him. "Fine. Let's do this." he said.

"Let us begin." Severus said, taking much delight in finding out what was in Dean's head. He drew his wand and pointed it at Dean who then closed his eyes and winced slightly. "Keep your mind clear, Winchester. No emotions. No thoughts."

I can do this, Dean thought, and he let his mind go blank.

"Legilimens!" Severus said with a flourish of his wand.

For a split second the room rushed past Dean, and as it did, he felt as if he was being sucked out of his conscious mind with a vacuum. In a flash he was inside his own head. Suddenly Dean was a little boy again. He saw his mother and his father. He saw his little, baby brother Sam. He reached out for them only to be separated from them by a wall of fire. He saw the flicker of ominous yellow eyes within the flames and heard his mother's screams. He was being swept up by his father with baby Sam in his other arm.

Dean's eyes shot open. He felt flushed and warm and he found his shoulders bunched up around his ears. Severus' voice brought him back to the room he was in.

"You're not even trying. Keep . . . me . . . out!" he chided Dean. "Once again! Legilimens!"

With the wave of Severus' wand, the both of them were in Dean's head again. Now he was a teenager. Dean protected his little brother from a lurking figure while Sam slept. His vision blurred. Now they were adults. He was talking to Sam about finding their father's journal. Then the memories of hunts came flooding back to him. Faster and faster they came. Vampires . . . Werewolves . . . Fairies . . . the Wendigo . . . Tessa the Reaper . . . Meg . . . The Roadhouse. . . Ruby . . . Ghosts . . . Demons . . . Angels . . . Leviathans . . . Bennie . . . Lilith . . .The Four Horsemen . . . Bobby . . . memories of Hellhounds tearing him apart. NO! Dean thought Don't show me that!

Again, Severus' voice came through and echoed over the landscape of his mind. "Push me out! If you don't want me to see it you must prevent me from seeing it."

There was a sudden surge within him. Not only were the memories now coming quicker, but they were more vivid, more real. He was bouncing back and forth in his memories. Mom, Dad. Sammy. Older. Younger. There he was, standing in front of a karaoke machine in a dive bar, with black eyes . . . Kevin deciphering the Angel Tablet . . . Eve . . . Now he was standing at a crossroads with Crowley . . . Castiel killing the Archangel on the side of the road and telling Sam and Dean about a magical boy that needed their protection . . . Now he was fighting for his life in Purgatory . . . Running from a crowd of people infected with the Croatoan Virus . . . Watching Sam drinking Demon blood. . . . Sam becoming Lucifer . . . Adam . . .

No! Dean screamed at the memory. Stop!

MAKE ME STOP! commanded Severus.

Now he was torturing Alistair as he was hanging up on a rack in a Devil's Trap . . . No!

Cain was passing his Mark to him. . . No! Stop!

Suddenly he was back in Hell . . . NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! he roared.

Dean opened his eyes in time to see several things happen all at once. Severus was thrown backward with such force he landed on the floor up against Sam's legs. No less than three potted plants burst out of their ceramic bases, and much to everyone's surprise, the roaring fire spit out hundreds of embers into the room which prompted several Professors to point their wands and start extinguishing little fires on the rug.

All eyes were on Dean who was still gripping his chair white-knuckled. He had broken out into a sweat and was shaking slightly. "Mister Winchester," Severus said as he relieved himself from Sam's lap. "I believe you have your answer . . . and I believe I have mine." He straightened the front of his robes and retreated into the shadowy corner of the room.

Dumbledore came into Dean's view.

"Well done, Dean!" he said clapping his hands together. "It seems you both have magic ability here after all!"

"Don't ever make me do that again!" Dean said as Sam stood and helped his brother out of his seat. He steeled himself for a moment and then looked around the room. "Okay. Great. We're Wizards. What's next?"

Sam put a hand on his arm. "Maybe we ought to slow down a bit, you just –."

"I'm fine!" he said a bit too forcefully. "I'm fine. Let's just. . . . get this over with so we can do what we came here to do." He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Sam continued to stare. "I'm good." Dean insisted and absentmindedly rubbed his arm where the Mark was, which caught Sam's attention.

Minerva came sweeping into the middle of the room and broke up the moment. "Well done, boys! Now you will need to go get your wands. We could go to the wand shop in Hogsmeade . . . Oh, but you'll want to have Ollivander fit you with your wands. You won't be much help without them so we must go immediately. Headmaster, with your permission I will take them straight away."

"Oh yes. Quite right, Minerva. You may us my office if you so wish." Dumbledore agreed, his eyes twinkling.

"Office?" Sam asked. "Isn't Ollivander's shop in London?"

"Of course young man but how did you intend to get there?" she asked.

"Oh. Well . . . I thought maybe the Hogwarts Express?" Sam said hopefully.

This caused a mighty round of laughter from the staff, all except Severus who kept to his corner.

"Young man, we don't have time for a leisurely ride through the country side. If we are going to train you in any sort of timely manner we must use a more expedient means of travel." Minerva chortled.

"Which means what?" Dean asked.

"Well you can't fly a broom, we haven't the time to create a Portkey. Side Along Apparition may be too rough for you if you've never traveled that way before. Not to mention it would require we travel to Hogsmeade first. There is only one real option left isn't there?"

Sam thought a moment and as the thought came to him his eyes lit up immediately. "Floo travel! Right?"

"Correct, Mister Winchester!" Minerva said with a smile. Sam grinned from ear to ear like a kid. He always thought the Flu Network was an ingenious invention and secretly always wanted to try it.

"Follow me gentlemen. We must be off."

The brothers followed her out of room. As soon as they were gone, Dumbledore excused the rest of the staff save for the Professor still lurking in the corner.

"What did you see, Severus? What did you find out?" Dumbledore implored.

The Potions Master stepped out into the light and spoke in hushed tones with the aged wizard.

"Such things I saw." He was noticeably shaken, something few people had ever seen. "Their lives are soaked in blood. The evil they have both faced. These men are dangerous."

"Are they who say they are, Severus?" Dumbledore urged him. He gripped his arm and shook him slightly. "Are they here to protect Harry or harm him?"

"I saw . . ." he hesitated.

"Yes?"

"I saw the man who sent them here. He said they must find the boy to protect him. But, Headmaster! The violence these men are capable of . . . it knows no bounds." His breath rattled as he inhaled. "I have only seen such things done by the Dark Lord himself. How easy it is for them to . . . kill."

Dumbledore took a step back. He thought deeply on this new information and began to pace absentmindedly. He carried on this way for several minutes while Severus looked on silently. Dumbledore stood still and stroked his beard.

"If they are indeed here to protect the boy and they are as dangerous as you say, it stands to reason that they can be used as a weapon against the Dark Lord."

"As they are, they are they are useless. They know nothing of our magic. They are a liability. I fear for the safety of the students."

"They are dangerous, I concede to that fact, Severus. But they appear to be on our side of this conflict. They may still be useful. With Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban and the possibility that he may find his way to Hogwarts to harm Harry, we could use the extra manpower. If they are as formidable as you say, with the right training they could be assets."

"Headmaster, I –" Severus' voice strained.

"I understand your concern –"

"Let me show you!" he protested. "You must see for yourself!"

Dumbledore was stunned by his insistence. "Very well, Severus. As soon as my office is clear, we shall use the Pensive."

Minerva, Sam, and Dean approached the Griffin statue that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"Here we are!" she said. She raised her hands and said, "Pumpkin Pasties!"

Suddenly the Griffin sprang to life and shifted to reveal a hidden staircase which she quickly began to climb, the brothers in tow. At the top of the stairs was a door which they entered in haste. Inside was the Headmaster's office. It was dark as they entered, but in the din they could make out the many shelves lined with mysterious objects, bookcases with dusty old books and bobbles, and spindly legged tables with several shiny silver instruments on them. The Headmaster's desk sat upon a raised dais cluttered with scrolls. Behind the desk was a perch on which a beautiful red and gold plumed bird sat lightly snoozing.

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Sam. "Is that Fawkes?"

"Why, yes it is, Mister Winchester. You seem to know a lot about Hogwarts and what lies within these walls." Minerva said.

"Only what I've read." he shrugged. "May I?" he asked pointing toward the perch.

"You may try, Fawkes is particular with people." she answered him not being able to hide her amusement.

Sam approached the perch slowly. "Hey there, Fawkes. Hey buddy. I'm Sam."

"Hurry it up Bird Whisperer." Dean said.

"Don't ruin this for me, Dean. I've always wanted to. . . ." Sam's voice trailed off as he held out his hand. He eased himself up to the bird who was now fully alert and looking at him through one beady black eye, turning his head and looking with the other. He bobbed his head a few times as Sam approached him. Slowly, Sam let Fawkes see where his hand was as he brought it up. To his surprise, Fawkes let out a quiet squawk and leaned his head into Sam's hand.

"Goodness!" Minerva exclaimed clasping a hand to her chest. "Phoenixes are very intuitive creatures, Mister Winchester. You must be very good natured for them to be so accepting of new acquaintances."

"This is so . . ." the words escaped him.

Fawkes rubbed his head against Sam's arm and chirped softly. Sam removed his hand causing the bird to stretch out his wings. Little wisps of flame fluttered along his plumage down to his golden tail feathers.

"Whoa." Sam said lowly.

The Phoenix ruffled his feathers and began to clean underneath one of his wings. Sam turned his head toward the others and mouthed the words "THIS IS SO COOL!" barely containing himself. When he turned back around toward the bird, it had resurfaced from under his wing with something in his beak.

"My word!" Minerva gasped, her hands now cupping her mouth. "This is remarkable! Mister Winchester, have you any idea how rare and special this is?"

"What?" he didn't realize it at first but on closer inspection he had seen that Fawkes was holding one of his feathers. Sam caught his breath. "Is – is that for me?"

The bird seemed to nod, though it was more bobbing than nodding, and dropped the feather into Sam's open hand.

"Thank you, Fawkes. Thank you so much. I'll keep it with me always." he said tucking it into his shirt pocket. He smiled and stroked the bird one last time before rejoining Minerva and his brother in front of the fireplace.

"Well done, Mister Winchester!" said Minerva. "You have a way with animals. Perhaps you could assist Hagrid with his classes."

"You can call me Sam." he smiled.

Dean cleared his throat as if to remind them that he was still in the room. "So! Off to London, yeah?"

"Indeed." said Minerva. "Now, traveling by Floo Powder is simple enough." She reached up to the mantle and retrieved a small little jar and removed the lid. Inside was a fine glittery silver powder.

"All you need to do is take a handful of the powder and toss it into the flames. When the flames turn green, simply step inside and tell it where you want to go. Make sure to -."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out!" said Dean with wide eyes. "Did you just say step into the flames?"

"Yes I did, young man. It's quite harmless I assure you." she said with a knowing smile. "Now, Sam, I know you are eager to jump right in so you can go first. When you say where you want to go, say Ollivander's Diagon Alley."

"Yeah, sure!" said Sam and stepped forward taking a handful of the silvery powder. He was about to throw his handful in when he suddenly stopped and turned toward his brother. "Oh! Um . . . Don't forget to enunciate." He threw his powder into the flames and the fire flared up and turned bright emerald green giving off no heat whatsoever. He tenderly worked himself into the fireplace by probing a foot into the flames. All seemed to be working just fine so he stood up straight and faced the other two.

Sam cleared his throat. "OLLIVANDER'S DI-A-GON ALLEY!" he said loudly, and with a flash and roar of the green blaze he was gone.

Dean stood there with his eyebrows in the middle of his forehead. His eyes were wide as he froze to the spot. He felt an uneasy lump in his throat start to form when Minerva offered the jar to him.

"Well off you go!" she said hurriedly.

Dean shook his head to clear it and took his handful of floo powder. The fire had already returned to its cozy warm orange-yellow glow. If Sammy can do it, I can do it, he thought to himself. He tossed in the powder and again the emerald flames erupted from the firebox floor casting the room into an eerie glow. He used the same maneuver his brother did and prodded the flame with his foot. Amazingly he felt nothing. Dean walked all the way in and copied Sam's booming voice in an over-exaggerated manner raising his arms as he did so. "OLIVANDER'S DI-A-GON ALLEY!"

As the flames rose up around him he barely made out Minerva's voice as she yelled after him, "Keep your elbows in!" and everything began to spin wildly. Wind rushed past him and he could see flashes of people's living rooms every time he dared to open his eyes.

Before he knew it, he was tumbling out over the hearth of a fireplace in a dusty old shop. Sam had barely gotten up himself when his brother collided into the back of his legs and both of them fell into a heap on the floor.

Moments later Minerva came out of the fireplace and with a hop she landed lightly on her feet. She looked down to see the brothers in a pile. "Oh! Goodness! Well, you'll get the hang of it." She hiked up her robes and stepped over the brothers and approached the shop counter. There stood an elderly man who was peering over the counter bemusedly at what had just transpired.

Eventually the pair of them had gotten to their feet and found their balance.

"That was rough." said Dean.

"Could have been worse." Sam retorted, blinking his eyes trying to get them to focus.

"How so?" Dean asked, doing the same.

"Portkeys are described as feeling like a hook behind your stomach pulling you to your destination."

"Yeah, no thanks."

"And Apparating feels like being pressed in on all sides like a giant bear hug while your eyeballs get sucked into your head."

Dean looked at Sam. "I'll pass."

"At least this one is like a water slide. . . . ish."

"Yeah, big on the 'ish'."

Their attention was grabbed by the realization that the old witch and wizard in the room were staring at them. They fell silent and both felt terribly awkward.

Minerva gestured toward the two of them. "Garrick, I would like to introduce the Winchester brothers Sam and Dean. Boys, Mr. Garrick Ollivander."

"Hey." said Dean.

"Pleased to meet you." said Sam.

Minerva turned to the shopkeeper in earnest. "These two, believe it or not, have only just learned they are wizards. So, they will be needing their first wands." She reached into her robe's pocket and pulled out a little satchel and laid it on the counter with a clink.

The man gave a good hearty laugh. "Ah! Late bloomers, eh? Worry not, gentlemen; I have the finest wands in the world, so they say." he said with a grin taking the satchel and putting it into his own pocket. He then turned his attention toward his inventory.

It was only then when Sam and Dean took a look around the shop itself. Everywhere their eyes looked, the walls were lined with shelves floor to ceiling. Every single one was stacked high with long, slender boxes covered in ancient dust. Ollivander scanned the boxes with his eyes, his fingers twiddling thoughtfully in the air.

"It is a rare thing for wizards to come into their own at such an age, gentlemen. But, such wizards often have a knack for powerful magic once properly trained given they have the proper wands. Ah! Here we are!" he said finding the box he was looking for.

He tenderly inched out a box in the middle of a stack about two feet over his head and brought it to the counter. He set it down in front of Sam.

"Let's try Ash, 12 and ¾ inches. Dragon Heartstring. Springy." he said with a smile. "And for you," he said pointing at Dean briefly before scurrying over to a rolling ladder attached to the shelves. The old man leaned back and looked up somewhere toward the ceiling. He moved the ladder over about five feet to the right, took one more glance upward, and then began to climb. He went all the way to the top and scanned the boxes again. He began to gingerly pull out a box and about halfway he seemed to change his mind. He pushed that one back in and instead pulled a box that was up three and over two. Satisfied, he shimmied down the ladder and made his way over to the counter again.

"For you we shall try Cherry, 10 and ½ inches. Unicorn Hair. Fairly Flexible. Go ahead and give them a wave. Oh! But one at a time if you please." he said.

Dean looked at Sam and said, "Go ahead, you first."

Sam nodded and swished the wand through the air. An explosion of red fiery sparks exploded from the tip which caused everyone to jump. Sam immediately dropped the wand on the counter.

"That would be a 'no' on that one." said Ollivander as Sam put the wand back in the box. "Go ahead young man." he said to Dean.

Dean did as he was told and flicked his wrist sending a yellow-green blob of goo across the room which splattered the wall and left it dripping. "EUGH!" he exclaimed. "Guess this one isn't for me?"

"Actually, it's closer than I expected." said Ollivander.

"How can you tell?" asked Dean with a disgusted look on his face.

"Nothing exploded." he answered simply as he turned away toward his boxes once again. Dean put the wand back into the box on the counter and waited. Ollivander squeezed himself down a narrow pathway between overloaded shelves. He ran his fingers over a section of boxes and drummed them with his fingers. Seeming satisfied, he retrieved one.

"Alder, 13 inches. Dragon Heartstring. Bendy. " He set it in front of Sam on his way past them to the front of the shop. Several smaller bookshelves sat under the storefront windows. Ollivander stooped down and pulled a box from the second to bottom row and brought it back to Dean.

"For you I believe I have it! Rowan, 12 and ½ inches. Dragon Heartstring. Unyielding. "

Again, he unwrapped and opened the boxes presenting them to the brothers.

"At your leisure, sir." he said to Sam.

Sam nodded and with a subtle gulp he picked up the wand. He brought up the wand and swooped it in a U shape and almost immediately a giant fissure appeared in the ceiling with a thunderous CRACK!

"NOPE!" exclaimed everyone in the room. Ollivander took the wand from Sam's hand and hurried it away hiding it under the back of the counter.

"Have a go, Dean." said Ollivander gesturing to the wand.

Dean picked up the wand and a light wind kicked up around him. He found himself bathed in a white glow that emanated from the wand itself.

Minerva smiled. "Marvelous!" she said and clasped her hands together.

Ollivander stood there beaming. He had always taken pride his ability to narrow down a person's perfect wand in five tries or less.

"Now, Sam. I don't believe dragon heartstring is for you. Let's try something with unicorn hair." he said returning to his stacks.

"I have here," he said scanning the wall to their left. He located a box about shoulder height and pulled it down. ". . . a wand that is Willow, 14 inches. Unicorn hair. Nice and supple." He carefully untied and opened the box retrieving the wand. "I am quite sure it is this one."

As Sam reached for the wand being offered to him, his hand hadn't even touched it before the mysterious wind from nowhere began. His fingers gripped the handle as it passed from hand to hand, and the wind picked up so heavily it was like a mini storm inside the shop. Papers flew into the air as Sam began to glow with the same light as Dean. It was over in just a few seconds, but somehow it seemed more intense than Dean's experience. Sam looked like he had just stepped off a roller coaster the way the adrenaline pumped through his veins. He beamed through his freewheeling feeling.

Ollivander wore a curious expression. "How very interesting." he said.

"What's interesting?" Sam asked.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Mister Winchester. Willow wands have a tendency to choose witches and wizards of great potential. My family has always said, 'he who has the furthest to travel will go fastest with willow.' However the unicorn hair makes the wand somewhat temperamental. They may not be the most powerful wands, but it forms one of the strongest bonds with its owner. Sam . . ." Ollivander took a few steps toward him. "This wand has already attached itself to you completely."

"What does that mean?" Sam inquired.

"Have you formed any significant bonds lately? Ones of note, I mean." he pried.

"Not that I can think of."

"What about your bird, Sam?" said Dean.

Sam startled with recollection. "Oh!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the feather Fawkes had given him.

Ollivander's eyes went wide with recognition. "Is that what I think it is?"

Minerva placed a hand on Ollivander's arm. "It was the most remarkable thing, Garrick!" she said. "He approached the phoenix for the very first time and it practically jumped into his lap!"

"May I?" Ollivander asked Sam.

"Yes, of course." he said and handed him the feather.

He looked it over as if it had all the delicateness of a Fabergé egg. "Aaaah!" he exclaimed. "It is a remige!"

"A what-now?" asked Dean.

"Remiges, or flight feathers come from the wing of course!" he laughed. "Every once in a great while, I am able to get my hands on Phoenix feathers for my wands. It is a happenstance very few and far between. On any other occasion, Mister Winchester, I would offer you a large compensation for such a prize. As it stands, this is a token and I cannot relieve you of it."

Ollivander moved to give the feather back but then stopped. "Actually . . . give me but a moment with it, Sam. I must do something special with it for you."

Dean, Sam, and Minerva all exchanged glances.

"Yeah, sure." Sam nodded.

The old wizard turned on the spot and headed down one of the cramped alleys between shelves. A few minutes later he returned with a box in his hands. He set it on the counter and started rummaging through it. He brought out a small jeweler's kit, removed a small necklace setting and fitted the calamus of the feather into it. Producing his wand, he muttered an incantation under his breath and a small golden fizzle sparked from the jewelry setting. He then went rummaging through the box once more. He found a long black length of leather cord and looped it through the setting and tied it off.

"Here we are." Ollivander said finally. "It's rather crudely made, I'm a Wandmaker not a Jeweler, but at least now you can wear it." He handed the necklace to Sam.

Sam turned it over in his hands. "Thank you. It's perfect." he said slipping it on over his head.

"Keep it with you always, Sam. It will help keep you safe." Ollivander said.

Dean seized the moment and before he knew what he was saying he blurted out all once, "Whataboutmywand!"

Sam turned his head with the most knowing grin.

"Pardon?" Ollivander asked.

"I . . . erm . . . would like to know more about my wand . . . please." Dean pieced together.

"Your wand is made of rowan, Dean, sought by many, won by few. A very protective wood and usually will best other wands in a duel. Defensive charms will be your forte, I think. Very strong spells indeed, especially with its dragon heartstring core. Your wand will bond strongly with you, take good care of it."

"Sure will." Dean said with the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice. He was sure that Sam had picked up on it. He wasn't so sure about the other two.