Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Supernatural are not mine.


CHAPTER FOUR: Dèt La (The Debt)

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

July 30, 1997

There wasn't a part of him that wasn't sore. While nothing was broken or bloody, the Sylph - an invisible air elemental - had batted Caleb around like a leaf on the wind. He really should have stayed the night at the motel, but he'd been anxious to get back to Bobby's place in time for Harry's birthday like he'd promised his son. So at quarter to eleven, when he finally pulled the truck into the salvage yard that surrounded Bobby's home, he really wasn't that surprised to see nearly all the lights burning in the house's windows. Harry wouldn't be waiting up for him, exactly, but he'd not sleep until after midnight and the calendar changed.

Bobby Singer, however, was waiting up for him and standing on the porch with his shotgun in one hand and a shot glass in the other. Caleb couldn't stop the amused smirk that played over his lips as he met the man at the top of the stairs. Without comment he took the glass and knocked back the holy water. Bobby nodded curtly and gestured to the screen door behind him.

"Get in there and do something about that boy of yours," the grizzled hunter snapped without any real bite. "He's taken over the place and I ain't getting any work done."

Caleb adjusted the strap of his duffle over and followed the older man through the screen door. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Ya'd think," Bobby grumbled, setting the loaded weapon against the wall next to the door. "Now go talk to the kid; he's been going spare ever since you left."

Now that Caleb could believe.

There were few hunts that Caleb still wasn't taking his son on and this had been one of them. It had only been the fifth time he'd had to do so in the year they had been hunting together. After what happened in Effingham, Caleb made sure never to leave Harry alone again. So when he had needed some backup, and he teamed up with Daniel, Harry was left with Bobby on research detail. The teen didn't like it, but he understood that he still wasn't ready for some hunts.

Moving through the house, he expected to find Harry inside Bobby's library but his son wasn't there. There were dozens of opened books spread throughout the room, but no sign of the almost seventeen year old.

"He's expanded." Bobby smirked and pointed to the swinging door that led to the kitchen.

Following the man's advice, Caleb pushed the door open and stopped before he even entered. There wasn't a surface in the small kitchen that wasn't covered in books and papers. The sole occupant of the room was concentrating on the series of texts that were opened in front of him as he thumbed through three of them at the same time. A fond smile crept onto his face as he watched his son for a few minutes before he realized Harry hadn't even realized someone had approached the room. .

"You're leaving yourself vulnerable, Harry." Caleb was rewarded when the boy practically leapt out of his skin, knocking over his chair as he jumped to his feet and spun around. The wand that appeared in the young Wizard's hand was a little daunting, but Caleb trusted his son's control. He remained relaxed in the doorway, smirking at his Harry's antics.

Harry lowered his wand, placing a hand on his chest as his heart was racing beneath it. "Are you trying to get hexed?"

Caleb snorted and let his duffle slide from his shoulder and onto the floor beside the door. "You wouldn't hex your old man, would you?"

"I will if you sneak up on me like that again." Harry closed the distance between them and wrapped his father in a warm hug. "You made it."

Caleb returned the embrace whole heartedly. "I promised I would."

"Yeah, you did." The soon-to-be seventeen year old held on for another moment before stepping away and turning back to his books. "How's Danny?"

Caleb gave a little laugh and followed his son into the room. "You know he hates it when you call him that."

Harry chuckled. "The old man loves it and you know it."

"True. And he's good." Caleb followed glanced at some of the texts. "He can't make it tomorrow so he wants us to swing by his place in the next couple of weeks. He's got something for you and has some more runes he wants you to take a look at. What are you working on?"

"A couple of things," Harry shrugged as he moved some of the papers and books around. "I started on a book that the Goblins found for me; the one we were looking for on the origins of Magic. According to it, Merlin was a Cambion, a half demon, and it theorizes that the first Wizards were the offspring of Adam's first wife, Lilith. It's really quite fascinating. But then Sam called me the other day wanting some information on a hunt his Dad was dragging him and his brother on."

He was surprised at that and it showed on his face. "Johnny's got you researching his hunt for him?"

Harry shook his head. "Sam, Dad, not his sociopath of a father." He turned back to the books and pushed one, along with a handful of papers, toward Caleb. "Sam said that John thought they were going after a pair of Vetala but Sam's pretty sure it's a Rugaru. Sam wanted a second pair of eyes looking at the signs and research and damn it if he isn't right. They're going after a bloody cannibal."

Caleb paled. "Shit! And John's going after it with just his two boys as backup? He's going to get them killed."

"Yeah, well, hopefully Sam can convince his father that they're prepped for the wrong monster."

"When has that stubborn son of a bitch ever listened to anyone other than himself?" Bobby asked coming in to the room. "When was the last time you heard from Sammy?"

Harry glanced at the clock on the wall. "About six hours ago. He was going to check in with me again just before midnight."

"Where are they hunting this thing?" Caleb looked over the maps.

"Not far, actually, up in Watertown." Harry pushed a few of the larger maps off to the side and retrieved one of the Northern Midwest, laying it out flat for the two older hunters to see. "John may have been right and he started tracking a Vetala but at some point their paths crossed with the Rugaru coming down from Canada. I've tracked it back up through North Dakota and into Manitoba, over Saskatchewan and starting in Northern Alberta. It's been feeding off of kids and teenagers, mostly, but I think that may have been a pre-existing predilection from before it turned. There was a psychotic paedophile that came out of Slave Lake, Alberta who's gone off the grid. I think he was the Rugaru."

Caleb swore scanning more of the newspaper clippings Harry had gathered. "If you're right, John's walking into the path of this Rugaru with perfect bait. Sam fits the description of the kids this thing's killed."

"That's exactly why I've been trying to get a hold of him. The Rugaru aspect is bad enough, but the rest of it..."

"Why didn't you tell me about this, Kid?" Bobby asked, taking off his ever present ball cap and running a hand over his hair before putting it back. "I would have gone over to Watertown myself to knock some sense into that damn fool Winchester."

"And tell him what, Bobby? That his own son didn't trust his research and called the Wizard for help?" Harry shook his head. "Besides, I didn't find the connection to the guy up in Slave Lake until a couple hours ago. I've tried calling Sam a couple times but he doesn't answer. I left messages though and I know he checks those regularly even if he can't call back."

"There's nothing to be done about it just now." Caleb reached over and put a hand on his worried son's shoulder. "You did good, Harry. You and Sam worked together to confirm the hunt and you went beyond that to find the source. You've let him know so the kid's been warned. Whatever happens now is on John."

"I know," Harry slumped back into his chair. "I just don't like not being able to do more. I don't have many friends left and I'd like to hang on to the ones I do have. Sam's smart and John should listen to him more. If John's stubborn ass gets Sam hurt or killed I'll give him a real reason to hate me."

Bobby snorted and ruffled the kid's dark hair. "You do, I want front row seats."

"Bobby," Caleb chided, though he wouldn't mind seeing his son take the obstinate hunter to task. "How long have you been going over this information, Harry?"

The teenager shrugged. "I don't know, a couple hours."

"A couple days," Bobby corrected as he moved across the kitchen to the fridge. He opened the appliance and snagged a trio of beers, handing them out to the others and ignoring Caleb's frown when Harry took the one offered to him. "You've been edgy since you Dad left and now you haven't slept since Sam called you two days ago."

"Harry," Caleb sighed and twisted the cap of his bottle, decidedly ignoring when Harry did the same without a second thought. "You're going to burn yourself out doing this, kiddo."

Taking a deep swig of the beverage, Harry leaned back in the chair enabling him to see both men easier. "I'm wired, Dad. I'm less than an hour from my Magical Majority and my core's been bugging out for the last seventy-two hours. I couldn't have slept if I wanted to."

"Is that normal?" The father asked, concerned.

"I sent Hedwig off to Rocknose in New York." He assured the man, referring to the NY Goblin that had taken over both Potter and Black accounts. "The reference material he sent back said it's not common but not unheard of either. It just means my core is reacting to the ambient magic as it recognizes my coming of age."

"As long as there's nothing's wrong with your magic." Caleb told his son.

Harry smiled, still touched whenever the man proved time and again he was okay with Harry's powers. "It's good, Dad. The book said that, if anything, it just means my core is more in tuned with the Natural Magics of the world. It didn't go into much detail but Rocknose has promised to find me a few books on the lore of origin of Natural Magic."

"What sort of books?" Bobby perked up at the mention of new books and the other two smirked at the man who was practically salivating.

"Don't worry, Bobby," Harry told him, taking another drink from the beer. "Since I'm never stationary these days I've got him sending all my book requests here. Unless you mind, of course, then I suppose I could see if Pastor Jim-"

"Now you don't want to be saying such things, ya Idjit!" Bobby snapped, sending the other two laughing.

Caleb smiled as he took a drink from his own bottle and started organizing some of the books and papers. "Let's get this mess cleaned up. It's coming on to midnight and if we can get things sorted out before then I'll make you a couple of those BLT sandwiches you like."

"Deal!" Harry chugged back the last of his beer and drew his wand. While he drank he gave the wand a small wave and the books started closing and organizing themselves.

"One, that's cheating," Caleb scolded with a heavy frown. "And two, you're not supposed to be doing magic."

"One of the books Rocknose sent me said that part of my problem is because I have an excess of magic." Harry told his father unrepentantly. "If I don't use it enough it's going to start causing problems."

Caleb set his beer down and crossed his arms over his chest. "More problems than the European Wizards finding you and dragging you back to Britain in chains?"

Harry winced and put his wand down, the books and papers settling where they had been floating. "Point taken." The teenager admitted reluctantly. "But Rocknose is right, Dad; I am going to have to start using more magic. The talisman they gave me is working and has been for the last year. They won't find me as long as I keep that on me." He pulled the small gold pendant up from beneath his shirt, its horned face serene and peaceful, showing it hanging from the gold chain hanging around his neck. "It's still cool."

Sighing, the father closed the distance to his son and crouched down beside the teen's chair and tucked that talisman back beneath the shirt. "One more year, Harry; I just need you to be careful for one more year. Once you're eighteen, and of age here in the US, you can go to the American Magical Congress and petition them for sanctuary. You get that and you're golden; hidden from everyone you want to be hidden from."

Harry leaned in to his father and let their foreheads touch. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I know, Dad, and I'm sorry. I'll be more careful."

"Alright Jan and Marsha," Bobby snarled as he started for the kitchen door. "I'm getting diabetic just watching the two of ya. Get this room cleaned up then get your scrawny asses into the Library. I can't find where my mess ends and yours starts."

Father and son chuckled but separated. "We'll be right there, Bobby."

"Damn right you will be," the old hunter growled as he disappeared into the hall. The pair remaining shared a look before laughing out right and picking up where Harry's magic had stopped.

Cleaning the kitchen only took a few more minutes and the Library wasn't as bad as Bobby made it out to be. It was his unusual filing and shelving system that made the clean up more time consuming that it should have been.

It was nearing midnight as they finished up when the familiar growl of an engine approached the house. The blaring horn had the three men reaching for various weapons. Bobby grabbed the shotgun by the front door while Caleb withdrew two handguns from his duffle. He tossed one to his son who stayed inside the house while the other two stepped out onto the porch.

They watched while the gravel drive was torn apart beneath the wheels of the sleek black Impala as it raced toward the house. Caleb was tense and the safety was off his pistol by the time the car stopped in front of the front steps. The two hunters waited with stilted breath as John all but scrambled from the driver's seat and yanked the back door open. Reaching inside he moved around a few seconds before coming back out carrying an unconscious body.

"Bobby, get your kit!" The distraught hunter shouted as he approached. The stench of blood was overwhelming as John neared and Dean's body was limp in his father's arms. John stopped on the second stair when he saw Caleb standing there and hesitated.

"Dad!" A blood soaked Sam had rushed up behind his father and brother, but it was obvious none of the blood was the youngest Winchester's. "What-"

"We'll take your brother to the hospital." John snarled, starting to back up when Harry opened the screen door with a furious expression on his face.

"Get him inside before he bleeds to death, you stubborn git!"

There was a fire in Harry's emerald eyes that no one wanted to argue with, and in truth it was apparent John knew his son wouldn't survive the trip into the city to the Hospital. Without wasting another moment, the Winchesters hurried into Bobby's house and followed Bobby's snapped command of "In the spare bedroom!"

"You were right." Sam told Harry as the two youngest followed the bloody procession through the house. "The Rugaru game right for me when it realized Dad was hunting it."

"And Dean stepped between you and it." Harry gently took hold of the younger boy's arm and pulled him toward the bathroom. "Get rinsed off, I'll get some clothes you can wear. They'll take care of Dean, I promise."

Sam swallowed thickly and nodded before disappearing into the bathroom. The door closed and a minute later Harry heard the shower start up. He went on to the spare room, the room he had been staying the last week.

Dean was a mess. His clothes had been removed and Harry could see the gouges and slashes across the older boy's torso. There was a large chunk missing from the side of his neck, like someone had taken a bite out of Dean's throat, and Harry wondered how he had survived this long with the amount of blood he must have lost. The three older hunters were moving around him with an air of desperation, but it was Bobby's face - fallen and resigned to the inevitable - that had Harry moving forward.

"Dad." Harry placed his free hand on his father's back, gaining the man's attention, and was gripping his wand in the other. Caleb looked at his son's face then down at the holly and frowned.

A second later he was nodding and stepped back.

John's head snapped up when Bobby followed suit. "What the hell-?"

"Move." Harry ordered the man, elbowing past him without waiting for a response.

In the back of his mind he heard John shouting for him to get away from Dean, but Harry blocked him out knowing that his father would deal with the man. Harry closed his eyes, letting his magic flow from his core and through the phoenix feather conduit to wash over Dean's dying body. Like the last time he had done this, he felt every hurt as if it was his own and his innate power responded. He inhaled sharply as it began coursing a wave of healing magic through his body. Harry grabbed on to it, pushing it away from him and directing it down into Dean.

The rush of pain and relief was circular, fluctuating around the two teens as one fought to save the life of the other. He could feel Dean fighting the spectre of Death than hung over them both and could sense the older boy weakening. Harry willed a surge of strength through the connection between them and helped the dying boy keep the Reaper at bay.

In the room, Caleb held a thrashing John against the far wall as the visible pulses of magic surrounded their sons. Bobby stood between the two pairs, a line of defense for Harry should John get past Caleb.

"Goddammit!" John roared as he fought the restraining hold. "Get him away from my son!"

"Look at him, John!" Caleb shouted back. "Look at your son!"

"John, he was dying." Bobby pointed out, gesturing to the pile of bloody rags that had been Dean's clothing. "That he was still breathing when you got him here was miracle enough. He won't last another five minutes if you don't shut the hell up and let Harry help him!"

"I won't allow it!"

"Even if it saves him?" Caleb grunted as he barely managed to keep the enraged man pinned to the wall. "For God's sake, John, just look them and tell me that it's wrong!"

Caleb could feel the moment John realized exactly what Harry was doing. The man didn't relax but he stopped fighting and watched as the wounds on Dean's chest had slowly begun to close, the piece of his neck starting to regrow. Taking a chance, Caleb stepped back but didn't completely release his hold.

"Look at them, John," Caleb said calmly to the other father as they watched the wounds slowly knitting back together. "No demon given power can do something like that. Demons don't heal, they hurt. Harry's not like that at all, John. He's a good kid with an amazing heart. Do you know what he's doing? He's using, and magnifying, his own body's natural Healing magic to save your son. He's connected to Dean in a way that has convinced his body that it's the one that was injured and the magic is healing him. That means he's taken the hurt, the pain, everything that Dean was suffering onto himself just so he can save your son."

John inhaled slowly through the nose but didn't say anything.

"How do you know?"

Sam's worried voice sounded in the doorway and three heads turned to see a towel clad teenager standing there watching them all with wide, scared eyes. He didn't look away from his brother or his friend and asked again. "How do you know what he's doing?"

"Because he did it for me." Caleb told them, his gaze going to his son in concern. "I got hurt a couple of months after we started hunting together. It was bad; a poltergeist had brought a building down on us and I was impaled with a broken two by four. I wouldn't have survived the extraction let alone have made it to the hospital. Harry vanished the piece of wood and healed me even though he didn't know how at the time. He said he just wished he could take my pain away and make me live."

"He's doing that for Dean?" Sam took a tentative step toward the bed but stayed back from the still pulsating magic.

"He'd do that for anyone." Bobby amended gravely. "Kid doesn't have a callous bone in his body. If someone's hurt, he's gotta help." He turned a steely glare onto John. "Even you, had it been your sorry ass on that bed. Next time, listen to your kid when he tells you you're hunting the wrong thing."

The room was silent for several minutes until the power surging around the two slowed and faded. Harry's shaking hand fell to his side, the wand clattering to the floor, and Caleb was moving before his son had taken a staggering step back. When the boy's legs couldn't' support him, his father was there to catch him.

"Reaves?" Bobby asked, moving out of the way as John rushed to Dean's side.

Caleb was checking vitals as he supported the insentient weight of his son. "Pulse is strong, breathing good." His hand slid over the throat and he frowned. "The talisman is warm."

"Warm, or hot?" Bobby matched the man's frown.

"Warm; a one hundred mile radius, give or take."

"So not an exact location then. I'll grab his things," Bobby was already moving, picking up the fallen wand and hurrying out the door as he barked his orders. "You get him out to that truck of yours! You're gone in ten."

"What's happening, Caleb?" John's voice was thick with conflicting emotions but there was no animosity in his tone.

As he scooped the unconscious Harry into his arm, Caleb looked over at the three Winchesters. Dean was awake, leaning up on his elbows, with not a scratch on his body. He was looking at Harry with worry. Sam and John were both latched on to Dean, touching his arms or legs to reassure themselves that he was still breathing, but looking to Caleb in confusion.

"Harry used too much of his magic." Caleb told them and shifted the heavy teen to a more comfortable position. "He's got other wizards - bad wizards - looking for him and his magical signature just lit up like a beacon. He has a talisman to keep him hidden, but the amount he just used bled through. They will know the general area he's in and if we don't move they'll have him before morning. So forgive me if we don't stick around."

"You knew this would happen, and you still let him save me?" Dean asked incredulously.

"I don't let him do anything." Caleb started for the door. "If I tried to fight him he would have done it anyway. But yes, I knew this would happen."

Six minutes later, while Harry slept buckled in to the passenger seat of the Dodge truck, Caleb was loading the last of their things into the back when John came out of the house. He seemed to hesitate a moment but proceeded on to the vehicle when Caleb stopped to watch him.

"Tell him I said thank you." John said quietly. "He's put himself at risk because he saved my boy. I won't forget that."

"You're a right bastard, you know that Johnny." Caleb sighed and shook his head. "This changes nothing. You still held a gun to my son's head and would have killed him had I not shown up when I did. I won't forget that either. That being said; Harry would kick my ass if I held a grudge. So, I'll say you're welcome and you owe us. If we can't get ahead of this we will be coming to you for help."

"Maybe you should get behind it." John held his hand out toward the other father. "You need us, we're there."

Shaking hands, Caleb climbed in to the cab of the truck and pulled out of Bobby's yard a minute later. He looked over to his unmoving son. Maybe John was right. Maybe it was time to talk to Jim and Rufus about being more proactive about Harry's situation.

As he drove he glanced at the clock on the dash; it was twenty minutes passed midnight.

"Happy Birthday, son."

Delta, Colorado

October 25, 1997

Sam was getting worried.

Not about the hunt or his Dad or Dean.

No, Sam was worried about his friend.

It had been two days since he had heard from Harry. After talking and texting back and forth daily for the last couple of months it was unusual to go so long without contact. The last he had heard, Harry and Caleb had been in Malvern, Arkansas. They weren't on a hunt, just staying on the move as they had since August. Always just one step ahead of the Wizard's looking for Harry.

Two days.

Sam was worried.

So when his phone rang he startled his brother and father, who had been going over research for their recent hunt, when he practically leapt out of his skin to answer it. The number was immediately recognized and Sam felt his body relax when he read it.

"Harry?"

"Sam, is your Dad with you?"

The momentary relief he had felt fled at the grimness of Caleb's voice. "Yeah, hang on." He flicked a button on his phone and held it out for John and Dean to listen in. "Go ahead Caleb, you're on speaker."

"John, how soon can you and your boys get to Omaha?"

"Twelve hours." John answered with a frown, knowing there would be only one reason why the other man was calling him. "Caleb? What's happened?"

"They got Harry, John." Caleb's tone promised a world of hurt to anyone who harmed his son. "Last night, just outside of Fort Smith."

Nodding to himself, John closed up his journal and started gather their things. Dean, picking up on the change of plans, followed suit. "Bobby and Jim?"

"En route, Elkins too."

"You finally told him?" John asked in amazement.

"Harry did after we hid out there for a couple days at the end of August. Said he didn't like lying to his friends."

"Is Harry still alive, Caleb?" Sam asked timidly while the other two Winchesters finished packing up their things.

"Our contacts in the UK say that they want him for some big ritual Halloween night. That gives us five days to finish it before we go in after him."

"We've been planning for this, Caleb," John reassured the man, surprising his sons. "We'll get him back."