Chapter: You Can Lead a Pale Horse to Ectoplasm (But You Can't Make Him Reap)
A/N: This has been the hardest chapter to blend so far! Death Takes a Holiday, and Nicholas Flamel. That being said, the Junior Hunters had already solved the Flamel Case for the most part, so giving them a new objective was difficult, but I think it played out well. If you are looking for an explanation of the white haired ghost in Everything Stays, you will not find it here, but rather in Comatose, the one shot detailing the events surrounding Nymphadora and Danny, which will be posted soon. It will eventually surface in this story as a throw away conversation, but not till next chapter or even the one after that. That being said. ENJOY!
Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again. Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a white haired ghost cackled with laughter. The Junior Hunters could tell there was something up with their leader, but wisely kept to themselves. Harry was throwing himself into each Quidditch practice, finding that if was too tired to think, he was too tired to dream. Hermione worried about the effects of such exhaustion was having on her friend, but he continued to assure her that it was fine. All was going well, especially hearing that Severus was going to be refereeing the game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. While technically still on the suspect list, Harry could not find himself to hold it against the man. Ron had lightened up a little bit, conceding that perhaps the Potions Master was being forced to steal the stone. Hermione, on the other hand, was up in arms about Severus being so close to Harry while he was playing. She wasn't able to get very far into her rant, because at that moment, Neville toppled into the common room.
"Neville!" Hermione exclaimed, rushing to his rescue while others laughed. She led the boy to where she had been sitting with Harry and Ron. "Who did this?"
"Nott, he said he'd been looking to practice." He admitted. Harry's eyes burned with rage as he got to his feet.
"That two timer! He promised to leave you alone if I did not humiliate him again." Neville placed a hand on Harry's arm.
"It really isn't worth it Harry." The raven haired boy looked down at the other.
"You gotta stand up to him Neville." he encouraged passionately, gripping the boy by the shoulders. "You're worth twelve of him."
"Thanks Harry…" Harry dug into his pocket and handed Neville a chocolate frog, giving the boy a final pat on his back as he went up to bed. He turned to Ron and Hermione.
"Nott is going down." Ron nodded in solidarity. Hermione looked grim but did not disagree. "No one messes with the Junior Hunters."
"Well, Neville isn't really one…"
"One day he will be." If a celestial being were to be watching at that moment, they would see the string that attached Neville to Harry surge with gold light, and said boy to sit up a bit straighter in his bed, assured of himself. Harry placed his hand in front of him. Ron and Hermione joined without prompting.
"Hunters for Hogwarts."
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Taleven knelt in front of the young girl, head bowed respectfully. She tapped him on the head, and he stood, gazing down at her with black eyes.
"Madame Lilith." he greeted. "It is with great sorrow that I must inform you of my failed mission in the soul Sector."
"What were you doing there?" She demanded.
"I had been monitoring the shapeshifter as you requested, her soul was still within her body. Then, without much fanfare, she was guided by an unidentified ghost directly into the Soul Sector."
"No, that can't be true!" Lilith stomped her foot in agitation. "Reapers guide the souls to the physical plane, and then reap them from there to Heaven or hell. Only souls that denied a reaper can be taken to the soul sector by a demon, angel or reaper. NOT a GHOST!"
"Perhaps, he was assisted by a Reaper." Taleven suggested.
"Or perhaps, you are bonding to closely to your host and killed the Reaper to save the girl."
"Madame. I have no feelings for any mortal. I am simply telling you what I saw. A ghost went into her from the Soul Sector and dragged her soul out with it." He let the girl stew on the thought for a moment. "He did, however, return her soul." The child looked to him in shock. "Christmas Day, no less. He opened a rift to the physical plane and dropped her soul back into her body. She awoke begging for him, but otherwise walked off perfectly healthy."
"How?"
"I haven't the slightest. The only thing I could understand was Dan, and the sound of a hellhound, and a big one at that."
"Ignore the girl for now, just get me that second reaper." Taleven gave a bow and disappeared with a pop.
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As the match drew nearer, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years. This was not the only thing abuzz in Hogwarts. Sitting at the Head Table with Dumbledore was Mad Eye Moody, and a chipper Nymphadora Tonks. There was talk of Alastor receiving an award for rescuing the Auror to be, but he kept refusing it. Sam and Dean were wary of Alastor, but did not let that prevent them from talking to Tonks. They needn't have worried though, as Alastor's magical eye kept itself trained on Castiel. The angel to his credit, remained calm under the gaze.
"How ya feelin' Pinky?" Dean asked the girl as they headed out to the pitch. There was brief flash of white in her hair as her expression turned worrisome. A moment later is was gone.
"I am glad to be back home." she said. "Although, never had a rest quite like that!" she joked, stretching out her back. Dean nodded in understanding.
"So, you don't remember anything?" Sam asked with a bit of astonishment.
"Not a thing!" she quipped. Before Sam could continue, Dean elbowed him hard in the side. They took their seats, one of them on either side of the young woman. Draco gave them a wave as he chose seats a few rows forward with Zabini, Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle. Ron, Hermione and Neville sat a few rows behind them, looking anxious. Dean wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. He was also worried about Harry flying, ever since the first incident.
Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside. "Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much."
"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even - blimey - Dumbledore's come to watch!" Harry's heart did a somersault. He dashed next to Fred to get a look at the man. He was chatting with Minerva. He saw Sam and Dean sitting in the stands with students, but could not see Cas. He heart beat faster and his mind began to race. He wondered if Cas had to rush home because of Dan. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and retreated back to the locker room, trying to rid himself of the memory of the mirror.
The look that Severus pinned him with once the teams got ready did not steady his nerves. They took off and he shot to the sky, climbing higher by the second.
"Wow, never seen him go that fast." Ron stated. "I wonder if- ow!" Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Nott.
"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there. You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Nott loudly, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff a penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Winchester, who's got a slew of Muggles for family, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money - you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains." Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Nott.
"I'm w-worth twelve of y-you," he stammered.
"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."
"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry -" Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.
"You're in luck, Longbottom, Winchester will be around to protect you in just a minute." Neville stood and shoved the boy. Nott gave a scoff before reeling back a fist and hitting the boy square in the face. Ron jumped up and tackled the Slytherin.
"Come on, Harry!" Dean shouted, leaping onto his feet to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape. Malfoy turned when he had shouted, seeing the commotion going on behind him.
"Hey!" Draco pushed past Sam and Tonks as he rushed to help, alerting Sam to the problem. Sam grabbed Draco by the back of his robes, entrusting him to Tonks as he went to deal with the children. All fighting stopped in place as they saw a tall shadow fall over them. Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches - the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand. The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.
"Sammy!" Dean cheered. "Did you see that Sammy!? He won the game!" he turned to find his brother missing. "Sammy?"
"Up here." Dean turned to see three students looking at their feet in remorse. Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it - the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped. Harry could not imagine why, and hoped that he had not done something to anger the man. Then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and he froze, looking up slowly to see Dumbledore's smiling face.
"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror... been keeping busy... excellent..." Harry shrugged the shoulder off, turning to face the man. He was soon swallowed up by the crowd, but he did not let his eyes lose the Headmaster who remained on the Pitch, watching him. He blinked, and the man was gone.
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Ruby tilted her head up as she felt an acute shift in the atmosphere. She scrambled to get the charm bracelet of her wrist, choosing the ice cream cone to scratch at the floor. Something big was coming, and it would be a cold day in Hell if she was going to stick around. The little charm snapped in half.
"No, come on." She flipped through the bracelet, settling on the eiffel tower. "Please...:" she begged to no one in particular. She screamed as a hand reached up from the demon trap, reaching into her host.
Once Bobby reached the room he found a very confused woman holding herself in shock.
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Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He felt as if he should check on Snape.
And speaking of Snape…
A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner - what was going on?
Harry left his broom in the shed, eyes lighting blue as he lifted off the ground enough to not make a sound as he followed the man. He figured the man would have noticed him if he had not broken into a run. Harry allowed himself to touch the ground as well to catch up, ducking behind a tree as he heard voices. He climbed carefully along one of the branches,climbing up the tree, trying to see through the leaves.
"... d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..."
"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all." Harry internally winced. He wondered if Severus knew that he and his friends knew. "Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?" Harry leaned forward, hoping to get the information that Ruby had been unable to give him.
"B-b-but Severus, I -"
"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him. An owl hooted loudly, and Harry fell out of the tree. He concentrated on floating just above the pair. He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "- your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."
"B-but I d-d-don't -"
"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie." He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified. Harry felt his powers falter, and he barely grabbed onto a branch to catch himself. He grit his teeth against the pain in his shoulder, waiting for the man to leave. When he finally did Harry dropped down, standing in the forest with nothing but the sound of the wind.
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Sam pushed a hand through his hair as he laid back down in the armchair. He gave a loud sigh.
"I hear ya brother." Dean said, falling onto the couch with a bottle of beer. After dealing with the three students who had been fighting, Sam had received a call from Bobby with some big news. It seemed as if Ruby had found a way to escape the demon trap. Her host had taken some convincing to get to the hospital. She knew that she had been possessed, and had thanked them for freeing her, but she did not what she should do with herself. The most unsettling was what Bobby had said afterwards.
"Why do you think she didn't die?" Sam asked Dean. His older brother shrugged.
"It's just one person, maybe she had a stronger will than most." Dean said. "Yeah, Bobby is pretty sure she should have been nothing but a deranged lunatic that would succumb to death after what she went through, but hey."
"I guess you're right." Sam admitted. "It's just one death."
"Yeah, nothing wrong with someone not dying."
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Harry walked into the common room in a bit of shock, only faintly recognizing the signs of a party. Ron and Hermione both came to him with grim faces.
"We need to talk about something." The trio went out into the hall, finding an abandoned classroom. "People aren't dying." Ron blurted out. Harry blinked in surprise, his thoughts rushing to become clear.
"What?" he asked in disbelief.
"Well, Hermione found it more than me, but- Hermione you tell him."
"I read the newspapers. I was amazed by how Wizard and Witches were surviving so many things. I thought it was incredible, until Ron told me it wasn't normal. So I looked into it a bit more, even on the Muggle side, and well…" Hermione handed over a bunch of newspaper clippings. Harry looked through the stories of 'miracles' and 'second chances'. "No one has died in a one hundred fifty meter radius in the past two weeks."
"This...can't be the Stone…" Harry said slowly. "It makes you immortal, not invincible."
"Exactly." Hermione stressed. Harry thought about it for a moment.
"We need to get to the bottom of this."
"What? Us?" Hermione asked in shock. Ron looked uneasy behind her.
"Yes." Harry told them, that fervent gleam in his eyes once again. "Honestly, what could be the risk, if no one is dying, then neither can we."
"There are things worse than death." Ron said softly. Harry thought of the white haired boy laying in their panic room.
"I won't let that happen."
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All of the Junior Hunters were around the table in the furthest corner of the library. They were all reviewing the new clips that Hermione had passed around the table. The purebloods had questions regarding some of the Muggle methods of death such as guns and electrocution. In contrast Hermione and Harry asked about several spells.
"How do we even find out how this is happening? It isn't as if Death will come right up to us and say 'Oh I'm on a bit of a holiday.'" Ron said after a while.
"Did someone mention Death?" came a voice from behind the redhead. Ron jumped, eyes going wide. Nearly Headless Nick gave a cheerful laugh. "Why would such young witches and wizards be concerned with Death?"
"Could you keep a secret Nea- erm Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington?" Harry asked, standing to talk to the ghost properly, much how Draco had taught him. The blond recognized the tactic and stood as well, raising his aristocratic chin haughtily as he stood next to Harry.
"Oh but of course young sire." Harry looked around.
"It is very sensitive, Harry. Are you absolutely certain we should tell him?" Draco asked.
"I wouldn't tell a soul, not even if it were to get me into the Headless Hunt!" The ghost vowed. Harry and Draco gave each other a nod.
"The truth of the matter is, people have stopped dying." Draco said seriously. Nick gave out a gruff chuckle.
"Impossible! The reapers always come."
"Reapers?" Hermione asked.
"Why yes young madam! One came to me that fateful day, but you see, this valiant hero was far from done! Haha! Thus it let me stay here on the earth." Nick explained with pride.
"Where would I be able to find a reaper?" Blaise asked. Harry mentally congratulated the boy for thinking of the question.
"My best guess would be to wait next to a dead body, though you can't see a Reaper unless of course you are dead." Nick said casually. "I must be off now. Have fun on your quest!" The ghost departed, completely forgetting why the Bloody Baron had asked him to go to the library for in the first place.
"Oh blimey!" Ron muttered. "As if we're just going to find a dead body." he sulked. Blaise rolled his eyes.
"Never thought one would sulk about such a thing, yet here we are."
"But he said we'd have to be dead too." Crabbe mentioned.
"I wish Harry Potter was here." Goyle said.
"What why?" Parkinson asked.
"Well 'cause we could just hit him with a killing curse and he'd come back anyway." Parkinson facepalmed.
"No, he might be onto something." Ron said, sitting up a bit.
"NO!" the rest of the group chorused. Ron slumped, resting his face in his hand, muttering under his breath. Blaise rested his steepled fingers against his lips, deep in thought.
"What's to say there isn't a soul out there that saw what happened to the reaper?" he suggested. With the inquisitive looks he continued. "You heard the ghost, a reaper ALWAYS comes. Something must have happened to it for it to not be doing its job. Who is to say that whatever happened didn't occur during its final reap?"
"So if we can find out who the last death was, we can find the spirit and ask it for information…" Hermione concluded. The purebloods looked at her with a bit of shock, as she was suggesting some very dark magic. "That is something magic can do, right? I mean, there are plenty of ghosts here."
"Not everyone can be a ghost." Ron told her.
"We won't need magic." Harry said, before the big debate of magical necromancy could be stirred. Draco gave him a side glance, remembering the raven haired boy's black eyes. "Hunters can shake out a spirit no problem, I just gotta find the instructions."
"Won't your parents get suspicious?" Parkinson asked. Harry pulled out a journal from his book bag.
"Well, they haven't noticed this missing yet."
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Harry paused as he exited the fireplace, listening to the silence in the house. A few moments later Hermione and Blaise had joined him, both donned in thick black robes. Harry led them up the stairs, miming for them to skip the squeaky step. They entered the room next to Adam's and to Harry's shock there was no one inside.
"What...she's gone."
"Who?" Hermione whispered.
"Ruby. I was going to have her take us." Harry explained. Blaise tapped them both on the shoulder and turned to leave, having them follow. Once in the kitchen, he turned to Harry.
"Will any alarms go off if we exit the house?" Harry shook his head in the negative. They left through the garden door, jumping the fence. Once on the curb, Blaise drew his wand, and stuck it straight out in front of him. Hermione shoved his arm down, a reprimand concerning underage magic already on her tongue. It died however, when a large purple bus came to a screeching halt in front of them. "Ugh, I hate public transportation." he sneered as he boarded, handing over enough money for all of them to ride.
"Where to?" the assistant asked. Blaise looked to Hermione.
"St Mary's Catholic Cemetery. That's in London." The assistant peered at his young passengers a bit more closely.
"Now, why would you want to go there?" he asked suspiciously.
"We are visiting our foster mother who recently passed." Harry lied. The assistant offered his condolences. Harry kept an iron grip on the pole next to him, feet planted squarely. As such he was not subject to the tossing around that Hermione and Blaise were. The trip did not take long as they three exited the bus. "What was the name again Hermione?"
"Michael Smithe." Harry pulled out the torches and handed them out. Blaise finally called them over once he had found the grave. They arranged five candles on a cloth with the pentagram drawn on it. "Will this actually work?"
"It should." Harry said as he added a bundle of sticks to the center. Hermione chewed her lip. "Are you having second thoughts? You were the one to suggest necromancy afterall."
"No, not about this...but if we DO find what is doing this, doesn't that mean that people will start dying again?"
"Yes." Harry said simply, pouring something into a bowl. "But that's part of life."
"But it needn't be."
"Yes, it does." Harry bit back harshly, glaring at the girl. "Death happens, whether we like it or not. We can't decide who is good and bad. Death takes everyone equally. No matter how much they deserve to live."
"He didn't take Harry Potter." Blaise said in the silence. "That doesn't sound very fair to me." The fire crackled softly.
"Do you really think Harry Potter will make it out of his battle with Voldemort alive?" Harry whispered with a rasp in his throat. He stared at the flickering flames. "He didn't cheat Death, Death cheated him. Now a boy our age is expected to face off against a wizard that Dumbledore can't even defeat." Harry looked up at the two, the darkness hiding his tear filled eyes. "Does that sound fair to you?"
"Hey!" A man called out before either of his companions could answer. Harry stood, facing the man, inadvertently placing his two friends behind him. A torch beam moved towards them, an unhappy man scowling down at them. "What are you doing here?"
"Devil worship." Hermione said with a deadpan expression. Harry turned to her with a look of confused shock. She gave him a glance that reminded him that if they told the truth it would sound much worse.
"We were just leaving." Harry tried to reason.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere." The man said, his eyes going white. "An angel took my favorite human, so it only be fitting that I take his."
"Don't you touch him!" Blaise shouted, drawing his wand and stepping in front of Harry. With a flick of his wrist, the man sent the boy flying into a nearby tombstone.
"Hermione…" Harry warned, looking into his core for power. "Run!" She took off, her shoes kicking up rocks in her wake. The demon laughed, having a large branch fall onto her, pinning her to the ground painfully.
"Name's Alastair." The demon said cockily, turning back to see a pair of glowing blue eyes advancing on him. He pulled away quickly, barely escaping the attack. "This can't be…" Electric blue was invaded by black, an unholy fire making them burn with a passion for destruction. Harry raised his arm, grabbing the demon with some unknown force, extracting him from the host. The smoke tried to get away, but Harry was having none of that. Imitating the demon's pompous attitude, he flicked his wrist as he sent it to the Soul Sector. Harry swayed on his feet, falling to his knees. He coughed harshly, hoping the spray was just saliva.
"Harry? Harry?!" Came Hermione's frantic cry, sounding like a whistle in the cold night. Harry hunched over, hands splayed on the ground. Blaise did not call out to him.
"I'm Harry...fucking...Potter." Harry growled to himself, forcing his body to stand. He tried to lift the branch, struggling against the weight. His shout echoed through the cemetery as he strained. Suddenly, the branch rose up, and Harry turned to look in surprise. A doe eyed teen was standing with the branch over his shoulders. Two of his friends moved Hermione from under it. The tree branch hit the ground with a thud.
"Blaise...Blaise…" Hermione wheezed out. A young teen joined them, Blaise over her shoulder.
"Give me him." Harry demanded, wrapping his arms around both of his friends, staring the teens down with doubt and the willingness to fight.
"You are certainly a brave fledgling." The first teen said. "I can see why Castiel showed you to all of Heaven."
"Who are you." Harry demanded.
"We are Rit Zien, we felt your distress and were able to convince the group of teens nearby to let us use them as vessels."
"I can get us home. You can leave." Harry said dismissively, not liking the vibe.
"I'm sorry to say your friend will not make it. She is past saving." Harry looked up sharply. "A human cannot survive such substantial injuries."
"She isn't human." Harry told them. "Leave us."
"It will be quick and painless for us to put an end to her." Harry looked down at the struggling Hermione, remembering all the articles of Death reversing itself. He thought perhaps of letting the angels attempt. He shook his head. How could he even have a thought like that, he wondered. The girl was dying in his arms, he should be protecting her. A realization clicked in his mind. Hermione should not be near death unless a reaper was nearby.
"Hermione, Hermione." he said frantically, trying to focus her brown eyes. "What do you see? Do you see it?" The girl let her head fall to the side and she nodded. She no longer had enough breath to respond however. "LEAVE!" he shouted at the angels.
"We must do our duty." Harry's eyes darkened.
"Suit yourself." He placed the hand that was stained with Hermione's blood on the sigil he had drawn in the dirt. The teens collapsed to the ground. Harry was immediately on his feet, rushing to the street, fumbling with his wand and two companions. He stuck his arm out, the bus arriving in mere seconds. The assistant looked appalled at the sight of them. "Foster father found us." he lied as he passed Blaise to the man. He gingerly set Hermione on one of the beds. "Spinner's End. Now." The assistant relayed the message to the drivers and they were off. Harry held tightly to Hermione's hand the entire ride. Once they arrived, he brought both down, heading towards the house.
"Oh, your payment." Harry felt something snap within him. There was a girl dying and the man was worried about payment? He whirled around, eyes black, letting out a snarl that sounded more animal than human. The Knight Bus left within the blink of an eye. Harry made it past the threshold of the barrier, an alarm going off in Bobby's quarters, and Severus' quarters in the castle. Harry smiled when he saw the barrel of the shotgun pointing at him. His adrenaline left him in one fell swoop and he fell to the ground.
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Harry awoke, feeling a glass vial being pressed to his lips almost immediately. He drank, recognizing the tingling heat of the Pepper Up Potion. He blinked a few times, green eyes surveying the room. Blaise sat in a nearby chair, facing the wall as Adam took care of the gash on the back of his head. Bobby and Severus were diligently working on Hermione next to him, her wheezing breaths still ragged. She caught sight of him and began to struggle against the two, reaching out for Harry. Her brown eyes were wide, and her skin pale.
"You insufferable girl! Stay still." Severus growled out.
"No…" she rasped. "If I die...he needs to know." Hermione coughed violently. Harry felt his heart breaking. He rushed to her side, grasping her hand tightly in his.
"You'll be alright." he promised. Hermione smiled at him with blood stained teeth. Dean stood from the other side of Hermione, looking down at Harry with heavy disappointment, and a tinge of anger.
"She has four fractured ribs, two of which have punctured her left lung. She also has damage to the lower spine, rendering her legs useless. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" he shouted angrily, causing even Sam to flinch beside him. "You don't get to tell her that she is going to be okay, because you don't know that!"
"He's here." She whispered. Harry knew what she meant.
"Where is Cas?" Harry asked.
"He's already tried to heal her. The magic she's using to sustain herself right now is interfering." Sam explained. Harry slammed his hands on the nearest chair in frustration.
"You can't have her!" he shouted to seemingly no one. Sam came around the table, in an attempt to calm him. Harry evaded his hand, scanning the house, eyes darting in all directions, changing from black to blue and default green. "Where are you!"
"Harry…" Sam called, reaching for the boy. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut.
"Focus on her!" he demanded. Sam stopped, letting the boy be. "Reapers. How do you get rid of them?"
"You can't be rid of me." come a voice from Hermione's bedside. Harry's eyes snapped up to the being in a purple cloak. "One soul has already escaped me in this home. I will not lose another."
"Do you see it?" he whispered to the room.
"Harry, maybe you need a bit more rest." Sam suggested, as Dean drew his gun, having had an uneasy feeling in his gut for quite a while. The reaper raised a hand over Hermione, fingers merely a hair above her face.
"It is not her path to be leaving so soon, however, with the other escaping, balance must be achieved." he told Harry. Red eyes gleamed with a bit of knowing, much how Dumbledore's would. "You could however, agree to take on her injuries. If you die however, there will be no bargaining."
"Yes." Harry said without hesitation. The being touched the girl's forehead, her injuries reversing as she awoke with a loud gasp. Severus and Bobby quickly checked her over in alarm. Blaise turned from the wall in time to see Harry collapse with a shout of agony, eyes rolling back into his head as he went into a sort of fit. Severus grabbed both Blaise and Hermione, ordering them upstairs with Adam to watch over them. After a few moments the seizures stopped, the same rattling wheeze echoing from his lungs. His eyes opened as he stared at the ceiling panting for breath. While he might not have been powerful enough to heal Hermione, the powerful magic and angelic powers within him were slowly attempting to heal his own body. The Reaper gave him one final smile before disappearing.
"What did you do, you idiot boy?" Severus demanded, cradling Harry's head in his lap as he ran a scan on him. "How did you take her injuries?" Harry did not respond, sharply drawing his knee up as a wave of magic surged through him. Severus cast the scan again, eyes widening marginally when he realized the lower spine damage was gone. Harry's eyes fell shut as his core grew exhausted. The necklace under his shirt suddenly pulsed, sending latent magic through the boy's chest, unwilling to let its host die. Bobby winced as he heard the shifting of bone. The boy's breathing evened out as if he were merely asleep. All the internal forces ended their aide, assure that they would not die.
"My ribs…" Harry whispered.
"Get Madame Pomfrey." Severus told Sam. While the spy knew how to mend broken bones, he did not do it nearly as well as the resident MediWitch. Now that the ribs were no longer puncturing the lungs, the possibility of fixing them was there. Harry scrunched his cheek as he felt a drop of something on his face. Green eyes opened to see the glimmering tear streak on Severus' face. The man glared at the boy's tender smile. Severus was shooed away by the MediWitch as she began twirling her wand above the boy, muttering under her breath.
"They've been set now. He will need to rest them for the next few days, visiting me twice a day." She stood brushing off her skirt. She cast a stern gaze to everyone in the room. "As long as you follow these instructions, I will not ask what happened." she left without another word, reminding Severus how lucky he was to have her as an ally.
Sam and Dean helped Harry stand, bringing him to a nearby chair. Harry let out a sigh, letting his head rest against the back of the chair. He knew they were awaiting answer, but at the moment he felt so tired.
"We're waiting." came Dean's stern voice.
"People haven't been dying in the past two weeks within a 150 meter radius. Hermione found that out, not me." Harry began to explain. "Nearly Headless Nick heard us talking about Reapers, and he sort of lead us to thinking about finding out what happened to the Reaper. Blaise brought up that something probably happened to it at its last reaping, otherwise why would a reaper just stop? So we went to the cemetery in London, trying to contact the ghost and ask what happened. While we were there a demon came to attack us." His eyes flicked over to Dean. "He said, that if Cas was going to take his favorite human, he would take Cas' favorite."
"What was his name?" Dean asked tensely.
"Alastair." Harry whispered. "Blaise stepped in front of defend me, but the demon flung him away. I told Hermione to run, because I didn't want her to see me using my powers. He-" Harry took a hiccuping breath as he realized how close to death they had come, with nobody knowing where they were. "He made a tree branch fall on her. I took my chance when he was distracted, but I barely missed him with angel powers. Then- then…" Harry screwed his eyes shut. "Then I don't know what happened! I felt my demon powers surge up and I took the demon out of the man and sent it away."
"You most likely exhausted the limited angelic powers you have." Cas added. Harry's eyes popped open upon hearing Cas' voice. The angel came forward, laying a hand on the boy, sending a calming wave through him. "Please, continue."
"I had to get Hermione, because she was shouting for me. I couldn't lift the branch alone though. Suddenly there were a few teenagers around. They said they were Ritz End?"
"Rit Zien." Cas corrected, looking out to the others. "The 'combat medics' of angels you could say."
"They wanted to kill Hermione. They said she wasn't going to make it." Tears formed in the boy's eyes. "They wouldn't take no. I… I tought for a moment of letting them try, since...since no one has been dying, but then I realized she was dying. How could I think that? What kind of person would think that?" he demanded, looking out at the adults with a deep pain in his eyes.
"Many have to make difficult decisions during war." Severus assured him. "And it would seem that you are a part of more than one."
"I don't want to be."
"Most warfighters do not." Cas told him.
"I banished the angels, then took the purple bus back. The Reaper had followed Hermione here… he said he had already lost a soul from here, so he had to take her instead."
"Dan's?" Severus asked with a touch of hope.
"I think so. I guess Dan got away. He told me the only way to save Hermione was to take her injuries, but if I died from them, I could not bargain." Harry stopped in thought for a moment. "He had...that same look in his eyes that Dumbledore sometimes gets, like he's clever. And before he disappeared he smiled at me."
"He knew you were going to make it." Sam concluded.
"Reapers are meant to be impartial, why would he help?" Bobby overruled.
"'Cause I'm Harry fucking Potter." Harry muttered out without much thought, starting to drift into unconsciousness.
"Woah, what the fuck? Language!" He heard as his eyes slipped shut.
"Dean, really?"
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Tonks sat staring out of the window of her quarters. The sky was dark, with an abundance of stars. She hadn't realized how much she had missed such a little thing. Her eyes focused a bit more on her reflection, and she allowed it to change to a familiar face. The person she reflected had saved her life. She stood abruptly, fulling changing into the teen, a flick of her wand had the clothes changed to match as well. She flung open the closet door to stare at Dan Phantom. The reflection shocked her back into her default. The black and white suit remained, making her feel a bit like a superhero. The guilt she felt of escaping the Soul Sector was overwhelming. She needed to go to Spinner's End.
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"What did you find Bobby?" Sam asked. Severus had already escorted the three children back to the castle. Both houses would find 50 points missing for each student out of bed after hours.
"I think the kids were right." he said to everyone's shock. "The local reaper was most likely captured by demons."
"By demons? Why?" Dean asked.
"And he bloodied death under the newborn sky—sweet to taste, but bitter when once devoured." Bobby quoted, "Basically, you kill a reaper under the solstice moon—tomorrow night, by the way—you got yourself a broken seal."
"But if they've already got one, why would Alastair show up when the apparent replacement showed?" Dean wondered aloud.
"It is a trap, most obviously." Severus drawled out. "They sent the demon that you are familiar with, hoping for you to swoop in and save the Reaper. In order to do so, one or more than likely both, of you would do something idiotic enough to put yourself into the same plane of existence as a Reaper, calling the second to you." Severus' eyes became a bit distant. "It is something the Dark Lord has implemented more than once."
"His cup holds liquor." Bobby confirmed.
"Okay, but what if they do catch the second Reaper?" Sam countered. "Then we did nothing and the seal gets broken."
"Yeah, we at least got to warn the guy." Dean added in.
"I could find him." Cas said, directing it more towards Sam and Dean. "There is no need to do something as dangerous as astral projection to deliver a message." There was a woosh of wings before any of them could disagree.
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Cas appeared sometime later, looked ragged. He stumbled to the nearest couch, holding his arm to his body. Dean was at his side in an instant.
"What happened?"
"You were correct," he directed towards Severus, "It was a trap in more ways than one. I was able to get away, but the Reaper…" A soft blue glow surrounded the angel and he was back in good health. "We have no other choice."
"They will be expecting you." Severus argued.
"Most monsters are." Dean replied cockily. "Question is, how to we go ghost side?" he looked at Cas, but the angel shook his head in the negative.
"You could use a Psychic." Bobby told them, "Though the only ones I know are in America."
"Would a Seer suffice?" Severus asked. Those who worked at Hogwarts looked at the man as if he were crazy.
"You're not talking about her are you?" Dean whined.
"She should still be awake," Severus continued, moving to the fireplace and tossing in a dash of floo powder. "If you insist on going through with your idiotic plan, we should utilize every available minute."
( ) ( ) ( )
"Oh, what an exciting endeavor!" Sybill Trelawney exclaimed as she walked around her Divination room, making comfortable spots for Sam and Dean.
"It's an honor to meet you." Sam said sincerely, having heard of the woman's ancestry. Sybill turned and flashed him a smile, her large glasses glinting.
"Which of the two of you had the brilliant idea of astral projection?" she asked.
"Yo." Dean called out with a smug smirk. Sybill came up to him, cupping his face with her thin hands.
"Of course." she said with her usual misty voice. She spun away from him, patting the small nest of blankets and cushions she had made. "Let us go over the procedure, yes? I will be ripping," she gestured crudely, "your souls from your bodies, so you may take a stroll in the spirit world."
"Uh, yes." Dean responded, a little sickened by her description. He wiggled a bit to get more comfortable on his cushion. Severus sneered at him, still not convinced that the plan would work. Sybill brought her arms out to her sides in a quick motion, the lights from the artificial windows blacking out. A swish of her wand had several candles around them lighting up. She chose one seemingly at random, and took a seat between the two.
"Do either of you have experience being in the spirit world?" she asked lightly, as if they were conversing over brunch.
"Uhm, no." Sam told her. Sybill became a bit troubled.
"Oh...oh dear." she fidgeted with her glasses. "You will be a pair of fog clouds drifting with no direction. Surely you have time to take my three day course in the art of dream walking? Many of the concepts overlap and-"
"Sybill." Severus growled out. She stopped, looking at him with wide eyes. "They need to cross over, now." She nodded, the beads on her jangling.
"Of course, Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis." she performed without warning. "They should be in the spirit world now."
"Thanks." Severus muttered.
"Woah, did the dungeon bat just say thanks?" Dean ribbed, expecting Severus to lash out at him. However, the man did not react, as if he had not heard him. Dean turned to give his brother a confused look, but instead saw two of him. One sprawled on the floor, and the other inspecting his hands.
"If you two morons haven't vacated the room without a plan by now, I suggest finding assistance in maneuvering this new plane of existence." Severus said aloud to the room. Sybill turned to look at her coworker.
"They've just left to do so." She assured him. Severus nodded, kneeling down next to her. He leaned closer to Sam, whispering something into the man's ear.
Downstairs, Sam suddenly grinned. Dean gave him a side glance. "What are you smiling about?" Sam shrugged, but could not get the giddy look off his face. "Fucking weirdo."
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Harry awoke the next morning, refreshed and ready to go to classes. He met with Madame Pomfrey as Severus had instructed him to, and laughed along with his friends at breakfast. It wasn't until he was leaving that he noticed that Sam and Dean were missing. He rushed up to Cas before his first class.
"Papa?" he called out, so the angel would slow down. "Where is Dad and Sam?"
"They are assisting Professor Trelawney with something in the tower. They should return by tonight." Cas told him. Harry nodded in understanding and caught up with the rest of the Junior Hunters as they made their way to class. He wondered what they could possibly be helping her with, as many claimed she was a quack. Harry topped in the middle of the hallway.
"The case isn't over." he realized. Hermione looked at him in shock.
"What do you mean? The Reaper is back." she hissed under her breath. Harry looked unsure. He shook off the feeling.
"Yeah, you're right. It must be a new thing."
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Dean continued through the streets, Sam only a few feet behind. "Now, if I was going to murder a few Reapers...where would I….gooo?" he muttered in contemplation, looking around. "Bingo." he whispered.
"A funeral home?" Sam asked following his gaze.
"I'm using my ghost-y senses and that place reeks of demons."
"That's great, except we still don't know how to touch anything." Sam countered moodily.
"Well the ghosts at the school couldn't see us! Do you know any other ghosts we could have a chat with? Casper?" Dean asked in frustration.
"Well, if we know where it is now, we could go back into our real bodies and come back." Sam suggested.
"We won't be able to get in." Dean told him. "I can already tell. This thing is warded to high heaven, and against it. Plus we will never make it back in time. It's almost dinner time."
"Fuck."
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Harry pushed through all the other students with a single minded determination. Soon they began to move out of his way as they saw him give no regard to even older students. Hermione was following close behind, attempting to reason with him, but unable to say what she wanted in front of so many people. A few students swore they could feel power radiating off of the small raven haired boy as he brushed past them. The stairs lined up for him perfectly as he made his way to the Divination Room, intent in finding out what exactly was going on. A note on the door said that a crystal ball reading was in effect. He tried to open the door but found it locked. He turned to Hermione.
"Open it." He received a glare. "Please."
"Alohomora." She said, hearing the lock click open. Harry entered, seeing Dean and Sam sprawled on the floor, Trelawney sitting peacefully between them.
"What did you do to them?" He growled out. Sybill opened her eyes, greeting Harry with a warm smile.
"I knew you would come, and oh how delightful you brought the correct friend! Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis." Harry felt strange, and he watched as his body fell away from his spirit. His head whipped around to look at Hermione, whose body had hit a table on the way down. Harry felt anger run through him, and the candles in the room when out with a single gust, leaving them all in darkness.
"What did you do to us?" Harry asked her.
"Your family needs your help, Harry." Her eyes were rolled back into her head, as she channeled the Seer abilities she often hid away. "Ascan's Funeral Home."
"That's near the cemetery." Hermione noted.
"Hurry, or it will be too late."
Harry stood for a moment longer, debating with himself. He finally gave in, and ran for the door, Hermione following behind. Several students passed right through them. They passed through the front doors to a world that seemed to be tinted blue.
"How are we going to get there in time?" Harry asked in concern. Hermione had her eyes screwed shut as she tried to remember what Muggle London looked like.
"I know the way. Let's go." She began to run, forcing him to keep up. As they ran, Harry wished they knew how to Apparate. He hadn't realized he had said so aloud, until Hermione began listing off the fundamentals of Apparation. Their eyes met in a sort of understanding and the fizzled out of sight, reappearing several yards away. The children grinned.
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Tonks stood outside of Spinner's End, watching the house with an emptiness to her. It had started to drizzle a while ago, but she continued to stand across the street, camouflaged against the foliage. She needed to see him, to assure herself it hadn't been an insane coma dream. Alastor refused to talk to her about it, but she could tell he was hiding what he felt. She strode across the pavement, setting off the alarms as she crossed the threshold of the property. A shotgun was levelled at her chest within seconds.
"I'm looking for Dan." she said, hands raised by her face to show she held not her wand. The metal of the barrel was cold against her chin.
"There's no one here by that name." Tonks let her body slowly shift into Dan's ghostly image.
"So what about one by this face?" she asked. The gun lowered slightly, and she was able to see a young male behind him, with devastation in his hazel eyes. Severus had arrived at that moment, coming out of the door, wand drawn. His hand faltered. Tonks melted back to herself in shock. She had never seen Severus Snape falter.
"How dare you?" Severus hissed out. "What gives you the right?"
"He saved my life." Tonks stated. "I want to thank him in person."
"Leave." he advised, turning on heel and shutting the door behind him with a slam.
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The door was standing open to the main room of the funeral home. Sam entered first, followed by Dean. Giving hand signals, he instructed his brother to go around the opposite end of the staircase as him. Dean nodded the affirmative. In the open space in the middle of the room, was a square with triangles on each side to form an eight-pointed star, with squiggles at each point. Lying in the figure was a older man in a black suit, as well as a younger looking man in a purple cloak. A single demon was guarding them, facing away from the two brothers. Sam and Dean attempted to sneak closer, but turned when they heard pained sounds from behind them. Another man was holding chains and advancing on them quickly. Dean put up a fighting stance, though he still did not know how to make his attacks physical. It confused him then, when the man made to move around them.
"Maybe he can't see us." Dean stage whispered to Sam. There was a clink as the man completed the ring of chains around the two ghosts.
"Or maybe it's iron." Sam replied, hissing as he tried to move past the chain. A third demon appeared, though he seemed a bit younger, around Tonks age.
"Gentlemen!" he greeted, smiling at them. "Madam Lilith warned me you may appear."
"Taleven?" Sam questioned, vaguely remembering the boy from the Ministry.
"Not quite." he replied, eyes turning black. He walked up to the chains, accepting a shotgun from the other demon. He took aim at Dean, and fired. Dean's form fizzled out of existence. A few moments later, it returned.
"You bastard." Dean spat out. The gun fired again, this time Sam disintegrated. "You can't kill us you son of a bitch." Sam reappeared, hugging his torso.
"No, but on the same note...You can't stop me." He dropped the shotgun, grabbing a nearby scythe. "A shame, when higher demons let their powers get to their head. Alastair begged for the chance to see you again Dean, but got taken out by a child. Ah well, his loss is my gain."
"Killing a reaper with a scythe. A little on the nose don't you think?"
"Oh yes, but it is not everyday that one gets to wield the weapon belonging to the rider of the pale horse." Taleven purred. "Let us get started!" He moved behind the older reaper, hauling him up by the collar of his jacket, and placed the blade to his skin. "Hic cruor messorius, illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit, aperiat ut resurgat!" There was a blinding white-blue light, and Taleven let the reaper slump forward. He grabbed the other one up by the hood of his cloak, the red eyes looking over at Sam and Dean with resignation.
( ) ( ) ( )
"What are those?" Harry said aloud, seeing all the symbols around the funeral home. The two children advanced, only for Harry to feel himself become stuck in what felt like a force field. Hermione, took a step back towards him, then stopped, looking over her shoulder to the funeral home. "Don't you dare Hermione."
"You saved my life Harry." she whispered, turning away from him.
"Hermione…" he struggled to get to her. "HERMIONE!"
( ) ( ) ( )
"Stop!" echoed a voice through the room. Sam and Dean looked past the reaper to see Hermione standing at the door.
"Get out of here!" Dean shouted as the other two demons advanced. Her form flickered and then reappeared right next to the iron chains.
"Hic, cruor messorius," Taleven began, keeping an eye on the new ghost. Hermione grabbed a nearby piece of wood, and used it to knock over the candle sticks, the chains unlatching and being flung a few feet away. "illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit"
"How are you doing that?" Sam asked, trying to pick up the same piece of wood. His eyes widened as a demon rushed the girl. "Look out!" he swung, giving a half laugh of surprise when he managed to land the hit. He went to strike again, but passed through.
"What needs to be done." Hermione asked Dean in a panic, as Taleven continued with his incantation.
"Destroy the trap beneath them." Hermione looked around, before her eyes settled on the chandelier above.
"aperiat ut—" The chandelier rattled dangerously. It fell swiftly, splintering the wood beneath the trap. The Reaper was at their side in a moment.
"Bye, bye." Dean taunted. They were transported outside, beside Harry, who was still trying to batter his way past the sigils. Dean saw him try to kick a rock in frustration, only for his foot to pass through. Dean looked over at Hermione, noting her calculating expression. She soon fizzled out of existence, followed by Harry, and finally Sam.
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Harry, Hermione and Sam awoke in a state of confusion. Hermione held her side as she stood, suspecting bruising. Dean, however, did not move. "Where's my brother?" Sam asked Sybill. She shrugged.
"I was instructed to bring you three back at eleven thirty-six." she said, as if it were to explain everything.
"Could you at least explain why Miss Granger was able to interact with our surroundings, and not Dean or me?" Sam asked in frustration. Hermione looked down to her feet.
"No." Sybill told them. "But, perhaps that is why she was the specific friend needed." Harry looked over at Hermione, recalling Sybill congratulating him on his choice. Except he had not brought Hermione, she had followed him. She seemed to always follow him, no matter the danger to herself. He wondered if this was the way of a leader. To have those who would be willing to die without warning, be willing to fight without reward, be willing to sacrifice without complaint. He felt an immense pressure to keep them safe, and he was only Harry Winchester. Had he come as Harry Potter, how many other students would be following him? Too many to remember names, perhaps even too many to remember faces. He couldn't keep all those people safe, he was only eleven. He hugged Hermione close, thanking her for her help.
"It was the least I could do, Harry. You did save my life afterall." she replied, hugging him back.
"You wouldn't have nearly died if it weren't for me." Harry reminded her. Harry thought of his parents in that moment, and the prophecy Severus had told him. How many more people had nearly died in an effort to protect him, yet saw him as a saviour to all of wizard kind. The amount was numerous.
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"I was surprised you were not more proactive in the fight Dean." The reaper told him, staring into the funeral home. "It is not the first time you have been a ghost after all."
"What?" Dean asked in confusion. "I've never been a ghost…"
"I see," The reaper began. "It seems you have blocked the memory. Just a moment. This may hurt, seeing as the scythe I had been lent still resides within the funeral home." The Reaper touched Dean and broke the seal to the past. Dean was shocked, but did not visibly react.
"Why did you show me that?" The Reaper pulled his hood back over his head.
"The knowledge will do you good one day soon." He smirked. "Thank Castiel for his help." The reaper vanished in a cloud of blue smoke.
"You can't run Dean Winchester." the demon lackey said, approaching with his partner. "Alastair will reward us for your capture." Blue lightning streaked down from the sky, causing the demons to vanish.
"No, he won't."
"Cas!" Dean exclaimed. "Where the hell have you been?"
"I have been watching from a distance." The angel admitted. "The demons would have detected my power if I had gotten to close, and from the looks of it, I would not have been able to enter against the angel warding."
"Is that why Harry was outside?" Dean questioned.
"Most likely." Cas said, albeit a bit too quickly. Dean's eyes narrowed.
"Why did the reaper want me to thank you for your help?" Cas gave Dean a pained look.
Cas found himself in the same cemetery that the children had been to earlier that night. There was not yet any sign of the reaper, but he had a suspicion that it would arrive soon enough. The angel walked through the cemetery calmly, his hand occasionally brushing against various headstones. He felt the Reaper before he saw it.
"You angels do throw off the balance, taking humans as hosts." The Reaper said. Castiel inclined his head in acknowledgement of the statement.
"I have come with a warning." Castiel said, showing he held no weapon. "The demons are attempting to open a seal, which involves killing two Reapers." He paused as he thought how to further explain.
"I am already aware of this path." The Reaper replied, unphased. "Why else would I return to the place they were last sighted?"
"Are you- Are you trying to be captured?" Castiel asked in disbelief.
"I'm not your average Reaper." he said with a smirk.
"I had wondered why you did not appear as the others." Castiel admitted. "A rouge? Why would you want to start the Apocalypse?"
"It's clockwork," The Reaper said, "the way things are run. I am the one they call upon when the second hand refuses to reach someone's time of death." Red eyes gazed at Castiel with an ancient weariness. "I am reserved for special cases, this is one of them. Come now, Castiel, surely you of all beings should know of setting the scene for the hero…"
The two spent a long moment searching the other's face for some type of clue or reassurance. At long last Castiel nodded, raising a fist and striking himself hard enough to cause bruising. He created a few tears in his trenchcoat under the watchful gaze of the reaper. He brought his arm down on a gravestone repeatedly, only stopping once he heard a satisfying crack.
"And that's when I came back to you." Castiel admitted. Dean wouldn't even look at the angel, trying to control his breathing.
"And that's all?" Dean questioned gruffly.
"Yes." Dean heard Sybill's voice in his ear, and he disappeared, heading back to his body. Cas gave a small sigh. This was the second time this week he had lied to Dean Winchester.
"I felt what was inside of that boy. You think you have good intentions," The Reaper looked off to the distance. "Think again."
A/N: Well, there you go! Questions? Please review!