Ambling Home by henri8l

Disclaimer: I own no rights to HP books or film franchise or any tv series only these invented plot changes and any added characters.

Ch9 Sweetheart

Dean looked at the leader of the Order of the Phoenix with contempt. This man was the one responsible for the life his son had lived. He didn't like him back when he'd first met him as a stupid kid, and he didn't trust him now. Dean stood as tall as he could and glared fiercely at the manipulative old wizard. They wouldn't be played this time around.

Healer Conti was incensed, and spoke before anyone else could say a word. "You're not authorized to bring anyone to this room!" Healer Conti bellowed at his assistant. He was the man who had led in the interloper and was standing to Dumbledore's right.

"Healer, I… Signore Dumbledore said that you directed him to this room!" the bewildered assistant said. The short man then whipped his eyes to the ancient wizard beside him, shocked by his duplicity.

Dumbledore didn't even bother to look ashamed. He only looked down his nose at the panicking healer's assistant.

"Dumbledore knows a lot about lies," said Dean, uncrossing his arms.

"Mr. Singer? Is that you, dear boy… I can assure you, I never lied about anything to you," Dumbledore said in a patronizing tone.

"Cut the crap, what are you doing here?" Dean wasn't having it.

"I've come to retrieve Harry, of course. Healer, you do understand how important it is that I relocate him to secure location," Dumbledore's eyes were shining bright.

"Your mind magics won't work on me, Dumbledore. Occhiochiuso, alert security," ordered Healer Conti, pointing his assistant towards the door.

"Now that is not necessary. I…Dean, and is that, Sam? What are you two doing here?" Dumbledore asked backing away from the irate healer.

"None of your business, Sweetheart," Dean said moving to stand in front of his brother as if he could hide him, despite the fact that Sam towered over him.

'Old habits…' Sam thought with a smirk, looking down at the top of his over protective bother's head. He then added his own glare to his brother's and the healer's, which were all aimed at the offensive old man.

"Harry is my business!" Dumbledore insisted.

"Who are you talking about?" Sam mocked, feigning a lack of knowledge.

"Yeah, Healer. Didn't you say you had a reaper problem?" added Dean, glancing over at Conti.

Three burly and intimidating Carabinieri came into the hospital room, dressed in robes with wands drawn. They were quickly followed by the healer's assistant. They took a protesting Dumbledore into custody and he was escorted out.

"Looks like he had the right idea about running," Sam said, bringing all eyes to him. He shrugged off the annoyed look his brother sent him.

Healer Conti opened his mouth to continue speaking with the Winchesters when he realized his assistant was still in the room. Occhiochiuso obviously thought he had the right to stay, but the healer gave him a look that promised retribution and his poor assistant scuttled out of the room.

"There's not much I can do to help you find him. If I alert the authorities, Dumbledore will pick it up."

"No, you've done enough for us, Healer Conti. Thank you. We'll find him," said Dean, determined. He shook the healer's hand, and Conti pulled him in to give him a kiss on each cheek. Dean reciprocated. 'Okay?' Dean thought, 'never thought I'd do that.'

Dean and Sam left the hospital with a disappointed but not defeated air. As they waited for their taxi, Dean turned to Sam and told him, "Find us some work, Sammy."

Sam gave him a look that clearly asked if he was okay.

"While we're here we might as well work, right?" Dean asked, hopefully deflecting any of Sam's inclinations towards initiating a heart to heart.

"We don't have the money to search the whole of Europe, Dean!"

"Do we ever have money, Sam? Quit your whining or go home. You can leave, if you want, but I'm not leaving without my son," Dean said. He pointed a finger down the opposite street to show his seriousness at giving Sam a way out. He waited, silently staring down his brother, knowing that Sam would never leave him at a time like this.

"Fine I'll look in the papers, but be careful. We need to stay out of trouble, we're not home," Sam warned. 'Who knows how some of these breeds of supernatural differ from ours.'

"Whatever, Sammy."

Sam pulled a face, but didn't bother to correct him.

Harry's mind was fuzzy and he was lightheaded. He had wasted most of his stamina on the run from the hospital. His mad dash had been pointless since he was forced to stop after only making it a few paces passed the hospital's piazza. Harry kept his eyes trained in front of him looking for oncoming traffic or pedestrians. There were none. His body may have denied him a running start, but he hoped he would be able to at least jog through the weakness. Every other moment or so he looked back behind him, looking for someone keen on bringing him back to his healer. 'Have to get far enough away.' He could hear the sound of a city reaching his ears, car horns, indiscernible clicks, rings and clacks, and stray pieces of conversation, but Harry still couldn't see anyone. And as the night grew closer it was becoming harder to see anything, but the new moon looming high above him. Harry pulled out his wand, still having seen no one coming, and at this point didn't very much care if some muggle had come along.

Harry could feel the warmth of his magic gathering, coursing from his core down his wand arm and just as it reached the tips of his fingers, and the skin of his palm, it gave him a shock. A painful one, that left his entire arm and a portion of his chest tingling in pain. "Merlin's balls!" It had been so startling that Harry had dropped his wand. He stared at it stupidly as it lay on the ground. When he finally bent down to pick it up, making a grab for it with his left hand, he saw his missing finger. He wiggled what was left of the digit and mourned for it. He could almost feel it moving. 'I didn't think he'd actually done it.' Harry sighed and kept going, maybe he could get far enough away that Dumbledore would never find him. He still didn't know how he had gotten out, but he was thankful to be here. Wherever this was. He just hoped that his drained body allowed him to walk slowly from now on, since it seemed he couldn't even jog anymore. The pangs of his ribs were already strongly protesting his over exertion.

He turned a few corners, and it seemed like he was returning to civilization. He must have left the hospital wards and warning enchantments because ahead of him he could see cars parked, and a couple huddled together as they walked. If he had the breath he might have called out to them, for assistance, but he only slowed down more. They soon were out of hearing range.

Harry's thin hospital robe opened at the back, letting a draft blow up the back of his legs. He began to shiver as he walked. The thin light colored robes changed, becoming thick and soft around his body. The robe was now a long coat, perfect for this cool weather. Harry didn't notice because the chill had already breezed through his bones as he walked fiddling with his wand. Harry walked until he had no more strength left in him.

He leaned up against an ancient wall, his eyes still darting about him. "Where am I?" he asked the empty street, before closing his eyes to rest them. The horizon line ahead was rocking back and forth. His equilibrium began to come back while he stared at the blackness just inside his eyelids.

The easy swish and crinkling sound of plastic, and the steady click of heels were coming from his right. Harry opened his eyes a crack and saw a middle-aged woman approaching him. He closed his eyes again, hoping she'd leave him alone. She didn't. Harry forced himself to straighten up from the wall and look at her. The tumble of sounds coming out of her mouth made no sense to him. To Harry their hurried pace sounded like an unfathomable song. The woman continued on, even as Harry gave no reply and put down one of her shopping bags. Quieting only for a beat, the woman put a cool hand to his forehead.

Harry's dizziness was getting worse. He was tired and this woman was only tiring him more, but he began to smile in a way that he hoped was polite. It looked more like a grimace, that couldn't convince the woman at all. He was fully prepared to walk away as soon as she removed her hand from his person. But the woman continued speaking and Harry could feel his focus waning when the woman's words began to become clear. First the melody of what she said began to separate into words. Foreign words, yes, but suddenly he could hear one word before it broke out into another. He squinted at her, puzzled at what was going on.

"You're, too, thin! Where did you come from? You should be in a hospital! You can barely stand up! You are coming with me. Then we will call your parents!" Harry didn't know what to say to any of it. Not to her distress at his state or his new ability to understand her words.

A/N Thanks for the review peters. kitten! Please read and review. Thanks, H.