Chapter 5
Harry walked into the library holding a manila folder, he dropped it in front of his uncle.
"What's this, shrimp?" Sam asked opening up the folder.
"It's our next hunt," Harry said.
Sam went over the folder, it contained several copies of stories about jewlery store burglaries. At first he didn't see anything unusual until his nephew pointed out each person that was arrested had an alibi and witnesses, one was even in another state at the time. Yet, the security cameras had them dead to rights.
"I think it might be a shapeshifter, unless all these people have evil twins," Harry suggested.
"You did a nice job putting this file together, shrimp, come on I want to check out something on the map," Sam said getting up with Harry following.
"So what are we looking for?"
"Well, here's where the burglaries happened,"Sam pointed out the four locations, "they're all within a square mile of each other."
"Well, since it's hitting jewlery stores are there anymore in the area?" Harry asked looking at the map.
"Two more in fact, here and here," Sam pointed out the other stores.
"So, where do we go from here?"
"We stake the places out, from the information that you gathered it looks like it hits a store every couple of weeks, we could also talk to the local P.D. for more info. too, but I doubt we'll need to do that," Sam explained.
"So grandpa, if this thing can look like anybody, then how do we know what to look for?" Harry asked sitting in his grandfather's truck. They had been sitting for several hours and the boredom was getting to him.
"Well, if it tries to break in the jewlery store then most likely it's the shapeshifter," John said getting a little irritated from Harry's restlessness. Sighing, John took a sip of his coffee, looking over at his grandson stairing out the window, he smiled realizing this was Harry's hunt, he found it and John should be proud of him not irritated.
Harry's phone rang, answering it, he looked over at John, "dad and Uncle Sam said that someone's heading towards the backdoor of the store their watching."
"Tell them we're on our way," he said starting the truck up.
As the two of them pulled up behind the Impala they noticed that both brothers were gone.
"Weapons check Harry," John said pulling out his own .45 revolver, checking the cylinder to make sure it was loaded, Harry imitated his grandfather as well as opening the glove box taking out two flashlights, passing one to John. Both grandfather and grandson exited the truck, again Harry imitated John's movements as they headed towards the alley that lead to the backdoor of the jewlery store.
Reaching the backdoor, they saw Sam coming out, "where's Dean?" John asked his youngest son.
"He's still inside, we lost the shapeshifter," Sam said seeing his father and nephew coming down the alleyway. Harry entered the store first as John took up the rear, the oldest Winchester suddenly spun around aiming his gun at Sam.
"Grandpa, what are you doing?" Harry said stairing at John.
"That's not Sam."
"Dad, it's me, Sam, Harry, your grandpa is making a mistake, it's me your Uncle Sam," he pleaded.
"Harry, don't listen to him go find your father and uncle, now," John said, without warning the shapeshifter ran, slamming the metal door. John hit the door with his shoulder running out chasing after the creature. Realizing what had just happened Harry obeyed the oldest Winchester, holding his gun straight out in front of him. As he opened the door to go into the main part of the store he saw his father and uncle lying on the ground knocked unconscious.
"Wake up, dad," he said shaking his father's shoulder, Harry slapped him lightly on the face and Dean began to stir, opening his eyes seeing his son.
"Where's Sammy?" he asked Harry.
"Over there, still unconscious," he answered.
"Sammy get up," Dean said roughly shaking his brother.
"Come on, grandpa went after it," Harry said stirring the two brothers.
As the trio ran towards the back door John was coming back in, Harry trained his gun on his grandfather, "don't move," he said. Dean pushed his son's sleeve up and removed one of the silver knives.
"Touch this," he said holding the silver knife towards his father. When John did and his skin didn't burn they all relaxed.
"So what happened?" Sam asked.
"We need to get out of here first, we'll talk about it at the motel," John answered.
Back at the motel the four hunters gathered in one room to discuss the events of that night.
"It was too fast I wasn't able to keep up with it, then it disappeared," John told his sons and grandson.
"I think we all know where it went," Sam said looking around.
"Well, you blokes may know, but I don't," Harry spoke up.
"The sewers," the three older Winchesters said all at once.
"O.K., I got the maps," Sam said coming into the room. Sam and Harry had spent the better part of the day in the town hall. He spread the sewer map out on the table so that the other Winchesters could compare it with the city map.
"These have got to be the tunnels that it's using to get around, they run right next to the jewlery stores," John said.
The four Winchsters went down the ladder into the sewer tunnels, Harry pulled out a bandana covering his mouth and nose.
"Why do we have to go to the worst smelling places on these hunts?" Harry asked trying not to gag.
"Your the one who found this hunt, shrimp, besides it's not like you haven't contributed to the smell down here," Sam said flashing his light around the tunnel and checking his bearing with the map.
"Did you really have to remind me, Uncle Sam?"
"So, where do we start seaching?" John asked looking over Sam's shoulder at the map.
"Well, according to the map, there should be a large room, that way," Sam pointed with his flashlight.
"Alright, from here we spread out a little give each other room to move, keep your gun trained towards the ground with your finger off the trigger, like we taught you," Dean told his son.
Dean took the lead with Harry behind, once again keeping the youngest between himself and John, with Sam taking up the rear. As they came close to the room, Dean spotted a pile of cast off skin, kneeling down he flicked out his knife sticking the blade in it picking up a piece, grinning over at Harry.
"I swear if you do it, dad, I'll pee in your shampoo bottle," Harry threatened.
Dean's grin went away instantly, dropping the shedded skin on the ground, "spoil sport."
"That's how they transform into different people, by shedding their skin like snakes?" Harry asked wrinkling his nose at the site.
"Nails and teeth, too," Dean answered standing back up.
As Dean entered the room the shapeshifter came out of nowhere grabbing him in a choke hold with a knife up to his throat. John raised his gun and Sam got infront of his nephew raising his own weapon.
"Let him go you, bastard, you got no way of escaping," John said moving to the side, trying to get a better aim at the shapeshifter.
Taking the advantage of being hidden behind his oversized uncle, Harry wrapped himself in his cloak of invisibility. Slowly he crept behind the shapeshifter, pulling out one of his silver knives he buried it all the way to the hilt in the back of it's shoulder. Screaming in pain, it whirled around slashing in the air wildly as Dean shoved it away from himself. John and Sam both fired simultaneously dropping the creature.
"Harry?!" Dean yelled out, looking around.
"Right here, dad," he answered removing the cloak.
The four Winchesters searched the room, not finding much at first til Dean found a large duffle bag with money inside.
"Bingo," he said picking it up and showing it to the family.
"So, do we give it back to the stores," Harry asked looking around at his elders.
The three older Winchesters looked around at each other and at the sametime replied, "hell no."
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The Winchesters needed to resupply their ammo, Dean took Harry to the local sporting store at the mall.
"Check this out, son," Dean said holding up a wicked looking serrated pocket knife. Harry kept looking out towards the mall not paying attention to his father.
"Hey, dad, would it be o.k. if I went out into the mall?"
Dean sighed, realizing he was dealing with a teenage son that was lacking any friends, "sure, son, just be careful, you got your cell on you?"
"Sure, right here," Harry answered holding up his phone.
"Have fun."
Harry walked around the mall looking at the different stores and checking out the things for sale from the vendors. The smell of fresh baked pretzels wafered in the air drawing him towards them. Going to the counter he ordered one with a small Pepsi, he then stopped at a vender that was selling necklesses. Suddenly he got the feeling he was being watched and began looking around for the threat, but instead he saw several young girls around his age giggling and stairing at him. Harry heard one of them comment about how cute he was, which made him blush. His cell phone started to ring and it took him a moment to realize it was his.
"Hello?" he said answering it.
"Go over there and talk to them," his father's voice said coming over the phone.
"Dad?" Harry questioned looking around.
"Go over there and talk to them," Dean reiterated.
"What do I say?" he asked.
"Hello, my name is Harry," Dean answered hanging up.
Harry adjusted his leather jacket and walked over to the girls, while Dean watched from a distance smiling, "that's my boy," he mumbled under his breath.
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"Dad, please relax, your way too tense," Harry said as Dean gripped the arm rests of his seat tightly.
"I hate this," Dean said as turbulence bounced the plane around.
Harry had taken the isle seat giving his father the window, trying to hold in his laughter from his father's apprehension he flagged down one of the stewardesses giving her the puppy dog look his uncle had taught him, "excuse me ma'am, is there anyway my father could get a strong drink to calm his nerves?"
Smiling she handed Dean a rum and coke, looking around she handed him two small bottles of rum, "keep this between you and me o.k.?" she said patting Harry on the shoulder.
The Winchesters got off the plane and out into the terminal of London City Airport, heading towards the baggage claim. Grabbing Harry's luggage and Hedwig's birdcage they headed towards the doors to grab a cab. Hermione had picked up all of Harry's school supplies for him at Diagon Alley and he had sent Hedwig ahead with his silver knives since he couldn't bring them on the plane. They had gotten there a couple days early so they could spend some father and son quality time together. Getting to the hotel Dean took a shower and as he changed into some fresh clothes, Harry did the same.
"So you know any good restaurants that we can goto?" Dean asked tossing Harry his leather jacket.
"I really don't know, dad, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia never took me to one, I'm sure we can ask the clerk at the desk what he recommends," Harry said putting on his jacket.
"You know what, do not call them your aunt and uncle again, they have no right to those titles," Dean said angrily.
"Sorry, dad," Harry dropped his eyes to the floor, feeling bad for getting mad, Dean approached his son running his hand through Harry's hair.
"I'm sorry, son, I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just," he paused taking Harry under the chin and lifting his face to his own, "what they did to you is unforgivable."
"It's o.k., dad, I know your not mad at me, life is too short for hatred, what they did to me was horrible and I wish I could truly hate them the way you do, but I can't, their still my family no matter what."
"Your a better man then I could could ever hope to be, son," he said putting his arm around him and walking out of the hotel room.
The next two days where spent going to different sites around London, driving a rental car, they saw the London Eye, Big Ben and the British Museum. All of those things that Harry had never seen growing up with the Durseys. His father had commented on how Sam would have loved the Museum (because he's a nerd) and that next time the whole family's coming along.
"I don't get it, why platform 9 and 3/4, why not 9 and 1/2 makes a hell of a more sense to me," Dean complained as they walked through King's Cross Station.
Harry simply ignored him the way his uncle had taught him to, when his father was uncomfortable he would go off into a complaining fit.
"This is it, dad," Harry said stopping between platforms 9 and 10. Dean watched in amazment as several children went straight through the solid metal ticket box that divided the two platforms.
"So how do we do this?"
"Just follow my lead and trust me, dad," the two went through the barrier and Dean turned to stair at it shaking his head.
"Harry!" the two Winchesters turned to see a young girl about Harry's own age with brown, bushy hair running towards them.
"That's Hermione," he said smiling up at his father.
"I got all your things for you and here's what's left of the money you sent me," she practically barried him in books and supplies to Dean's amusment.
"Thank you," Harry said placing the supplies in his trunk, "Hermione, this is my father, Dean Winchester."
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Winchester, I thought that there was an uncle and grandfather as well?" she asked cocking her head to the side.
"They decided to stay behind, maybe next time you'll get to meet them," Dean answered.
A whistle blew from the train signaling everyone to begin boarding, "I have to go now, dad."
"O.K., make sure you write at least once a week and stay out of trouble, no more detentions and I mean it,too."
"I promise, dad, I will," Harry kept saying as Herminone grinned at the two, Dean hugged his son and kissed the top of his head, "I have to go, I love you." The two young magic users boarded the train waving good bye to Dean.
After getting back to the rental car, Dean realized that he still had a whole other day to kill before his flight back to the America. Using his hunter's skills he decided to ask some questions around town, getting the address for the Vernon Dursey. Plugging the address into his cell's GPS he followed it. Pulling up to the house he got out, walking up to the little generic home, knocking on the door a large man opened it.
"Yes, may I help you," Vernon asked looking Dean up and down.
"Are you Vernon Dursey, Harry Potter's uncle?"
"That boy ran away months ago and good riddance to him, now get off my property you freak," he said starting to close door. Dean shoved the door open surprising the man, cocking back his arm he slammed his fist into Vernon's nose breaking it with a crack. Falling on his back Petunia and Dudley ran to his side.
"I'm his father and that's for what did to him, you son of a bitch," Dean about faced and headed back to the car.
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School seemed different to Harry that year, instead of feeling free like he had always felt after leaving the Dursey's, he felt rather lonely without his famiy. The professors and many of the students still called him Potter, it seemed to annoy them when he would correct them telling them his name was Winchester now, not Potter. At least quidditch still had it's excitment, he missed going on the hunts and decided that was what he wanted to do the moment he got back home. He noticed Ron and Hermione seemed to look at him a bit differently, too. Not in a bad way, just kind of awe at his physical training, when most wizards and witches could barely do a push-up, Harry on the other hand did fifty push-ups first thing in the morning along with fifty sit-ups. Getting permission from Professor McGonagall to jog in the courtyard early in the morning surprised both his friends and teachers, especially when Ron and his brothers saw Harry with a punching bag that he would keep miniaturized in his trunk. Before coming home for Christmas break Harry had gained two inches in height and ten pounds of wiry muscle.
"Looking good, shrimp," Harry heard as he exited the Hogwarts Express, turning he saw his uncle and the rest of the family coming over with grins on their faces. Roughing up his hair and commenting on how he had grown, the three older Winchesters greeted the youngest.
Getting back home after the flight Harry was in the shooting range getting some much needed target practice, when his uncle came in.
"Your out of practice," Sam said noticing his nephew's grouping.
"It's not that bad, Uncle Sam," he said emptying his .357's cylinder.
"Did it feel good to be back to your school?" Sam asked as he loaded his own 9mm and setup a target for himself.
Harry shrugged at the question, "believe it or not I kind of felt out of place, which was wierd because I had always felt more at home there then anywhere else."
"You know Harry, I felt the same way when I went to Stanford, when your dad came and got me to search for your grandpa, I don't know, something about that first hunt after so long it felt right, not that I planned to keep doing it at the time, but to be with your dad on the hunt, it felt good," Sam admitted.
"You think that's what's happening with me, that I'm getting addicted to the hunt?" Harry asked loading up again.
"I think your getting addicted to being with family," Harry thought about his uncle's statement while he set up his next target. It did make sense, he never had a real family and even though the Winchesters were sort of dysfunctional, he would rather be with them then anywhere else.
"So you find any hunts?" Harry asked his uncle.
"Well, we think there could be a vampire on the loose, bodies have been found drained right out in the open," Sam said indicating that his nephew put on his hearing protection. After firing off the clip, Sam brought back the target unclipping it, he showed it to Harry, there were two small groupings of holes in the heart and head.
Sighing, Harry took the target, "so when are we going on the hunt?"
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Sitting in the Impala with his father next to him, Harry was using Hedwig's sight to search the alley, while Dean played with his radio.
"See anything, son?" he asked watching Harry with his eyes closed, Dean would never say it out loud, but his son spooked him out when he made that psychic connection with his pet owl.
"Nothing right now," Harry said opening his eyes, looking over at his father.
"Your Uncle Sam was telling me what you said about Hogwarts, that you don't feel as if you belong there," Dean said flipping off the radio.
"It's not that I feel that I don't belong, just different somehow, I mean, I think Uncle Sam might be right, I've spent my whole life wishing for a real family and now that I have one I have to go away to school for months at a time, I guess what I'm saying is that for the first time since I started going to Hogwarts, I'm getting homesick."
"You know if you don't want to go back we can figure something else out, maybe they have magic schools here in the U.S.," Dean said looking at the alley.
"That sounds good, but, I'd like to at least finish this year and see how I feel then," Harry told his father as he closed his eyes concentrating on Hedwig again.
"I see someone in the alley," Harry said sitting up.
"You think it's the vampire?"
"It's a kid, a boy, maybe about my age, he's crouched by one of the dumpesters," Harry finished before opening his eyes again, he rubbed his temples with his hands, trying to make the trobbing go away.
"You o.k.," Dean asked looking at his son worriedly.
"Ya, it's just when I concentrate for too long I get bad headaches."
Dean pulled out his cell phone, scrolling down to Sam's number he dialed, "Sam, your on."
Harry watched as his uncle exited his grandfather's truck and headed towards the alley walking slowly, purposely trying to attract attantion. Meanwhile the other Winchesters began getting out of there vehicles, slowly pulling out their blades. They all heard Sam whistling loudly as he walked deeper into the alley. Suddenly the vampire that Harry had saw earlier jumped out grabbing onto Sam, trying to get at his throat. Sam threw the young vampire off of him, slamming it into the dumpester. Pulling out his own bowie knife he prepared to take off it's head, when he heard his nephew yell for him to stop.
"He's just a kid, Uncle Sam, don't do it," Dean grabbed his son by the arm pulling him back as the vampire kid jumped at Harry, the vampire was suddenly hit by a light, paralyzing it.
"Where did that come from?" John asked coming into the the alley behind Harry and Dean.
"I have no idea," Sam answered looking down the alleyway. A garbage can suddenly fell over at the other end, making the four Winchesters raise their weapons. A black dog came out from between the cans, looking back at them, then quietly walking off out the other side.
Inside an old warehouse, the four hunters had the vampire boy tied to a chair, the paralyzing spell had worn off and he struggled against his bonds like a wild animal.
"Hey, relax your not getting out of those ropes so stop struggling aready," Dean suggested to the vampire boy.
After a few more struggles, he finally got the message and sat back glaring at Dean.
"So where's your nest?" John asked looking down at the boy.
"Goto hell," the vampire boy grumbled back at the oldest hunter.
"So you do have a nest, how many and where?" Dean interrogated.
The vampire boy turned away, this time putting his gaze on Harry, not allowing the creature boy to intimidate him, Harry returned the gaze. Dean noticed the stair down between the two and mentally smiled at his son.
"Hey, hey," Dean snapped his fingers in front of the vampire's face, "where is the nest and how many are there?"
"Just do it already, I'm not going to tell you anything," the vampire boy growled out.
"Fine," Dean said pulling out his bowie knife.
"Don't look, Harry," Sam told his nephew, Harry buried his face in his uncle's side and as he heard his father's knife slice threw the vampire boy's neck, he jumped a little.
"Sammy, get him out here," Dean ordered his younger brother motioning towards his son. Sam did as he was told turning Harry around leading him out of the warehouse with a hand on his back.
Sam leaned back against the Impala with Harry leaning up against him, Sam's arms were draped around his nephew. They saw Dean and John walking out of the warehouse after cleaning up the mess.
"Take him back to the motel, Sammy," Dean ordered tossing him the keys to the Impala.
"Where are you going?" Sam asked them.
"We're going to see if we can find the nest it can't be that far away from here and there's got to be more vamps running around, maybe we can get one of them to tell us where it is," Dean said following his father to the black truck.
"I'm not going back to the motel, we still have a hunt to finish," Harry spoke up.
"Yes you are," Dean answered not wanting to argue the point with his son.
"That's not fair, dad, I should be part of this hunt," Harry argued.
"I don't have to be fair, I'm your father," Dean said getting in John's truck.
"But...," Harry tried again.
"Motel, now!" Dean finished closing the truck's door.
As Sam and Harry drove down the road, Harry kept complaining about being taken out of the hunt, "I don't get it, why did dad take me out of this hunt."
"Because you screwed up, Harry, you stopped me from taking out that vamp and almost got yourself killed in the process," Sam said irriated from his nephew's griping, the biggest problem was, he sounded so much like Dean it was eerie.
"O.K., fine, I screwed up, I over reacted and let my emotions get the better of me, but he was just a kid, who would turn a kid that young and why," Harry asked his uncle.
"Well, I don't know the who part but, my best guess of why is that it's easer for a kid to bring home dinner," Sam explained to his nephew.
Harry reached under the seat for his laptop, pulling it out he began seaching for missing children in the area, as the search went on he realized there were too many. Getting an idea, Harry pulled out his cell phone, scrolling down to Ashes number he dialed it.
"Hey Ash, I could use some help with something," Harry told the hacker over the phone.
"You realize your dad's going to kill me for this," Sam said as the two younger Winchesters were pulled over to the side of the street, going over the E-mail that Ash had just sent his nephew.
"Just tell him I cast a spell on you," Harry said sarcastically looking over his uncle's shoulder at the computer screen.
Ignoring his nephew, Sam read the files, "says here this guy was put on trial for allegedly kidnapping several children in the area but, there wasn't enough evidence to convict him on any of the counts, on top of that he disappeared after the trials."
"You think that could be our head vamp," Harry asked.
"Could be, here's the last known address," Sam said starting up the Impala.
"Should I call dad and grandpa?" Harry asked taking out his cell phone.
"Not til we check the place out first," Sam answered.
Again Harry sat in the Impala, eyes closed seeing threw Hedwig as she flew around the two story house. Landing on the roof she looked inside one of the upper windows seeing into an upstairs bedroom. Harry saw a child bent over a woman, tied to a bed in the middle of the room, as the child straightened up Harry could see blood around his mouth.
"That's got to be it, Uncle Sam, there's a vamp in the room upstairs," he said grabbing his cell phone out of his pocket scrolling down to his father's number, then reconsidering instead going to his grandfather's.
"What's the matter, Harry?" John said answering.
"Grandpa, we found the vamp's nest, I'll text you the address," his grandfather sighed over the phone knowing his oldest son was going to be pissed off when he heard that his brother and son disobeyed him.
"O.K. Hair-ball, we'll meet you there in a few, don't make a move until we get there, that's an order," John told his grandson hanging up.
"Grandpa wants us to hang tight til they get here," Harry said hanging up the phone looking over at his uncle.
John's black truck pulled up behind the Impala, the four reunited Winchesters got out of their vehicles. Dean eyed his younger brother angrily, then turned his glare on his son making the boy take a step behind his uncle.
"So what are we looking at?" John interrupted the stair down.
"Well, as far as we can tell there are at least five vamps in the house all kids, there's a woman in an upstairs bedroom tied to a bed, but there's no adult vamp, at least none that we can see," Sam said giving his father and brother the rundown.
The four hunters decided to split up into two teams, Harry and John taking the front, while Sam and Dean took the back.
"I know that they look like kids, Harry, they're not, they're monsters, and they'll kill you without a second thought, don't hesitate, they won't," John sternly told his grandson. Harry nodded his head gripping his knife tighter. As they heard the backdoor being kicked in John slammed his foot against the front, both young and old hunters entered the house redding their weapons.
A young girl no older then eight, came at them from Harry's direction, he swung the knife as the girl closed in on him, taking off her right arm just above the elbow. Screaming in pain the vampire girl held the stump of her arm as blood squirted out. Harry pulled back his knife again swinging this time aiming for her neck, the razer sharp blade cut straight threw flesh and bone severing her head, it hit floor like a ball bouncing and rolling.
The four Winchesters cleared out the rest of the house, there was a total of six vampire children, but no adult. Dean checked the woman that had been tied up in the bed to see if she still had a pulse, there was none. Harry sat outside the house on the porch wiping the blood off his face.
"You did good in there, son," Dean said sitting next to Harry, running his hand threw his son's hair.
"I did what I had to, besides, we didn't save the woman and if we're right that adult vamp got away, we didn't do anything here but kill a bunch of kids," Harry told his father.
Signing, Dean put his arm around his son's shoulders and pulled him closer to himself, Harry leaned his head against his father's side and began silently crying.
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Christmas had finally come to the Winchester home, since it was Harry's first real Christmas Dean decided to invite the extended family, including Bobby, Ellen, Joe, Ash, and Garth. Harry had heard alot of things about both Bobby and Garth, he admitted that it was nice finally having a chance to meet them. Bobby in particular, of what his father and uncle told him, Bobby was like another father to them. Garth on the other hand was a little weird and seemed to annoy Dean by hugging him all the time, making Harry laugh. He received presents from both friends and family, including an E.M.F. meter from his Uncle Sam, a sawed-off auto-loading 12 gauge Remington shotgun from his grandfather and a .308 bolt-action Remington 700 rifle with a Leupold Longrange scope, when he noticed the large cylinder on the end of the rifle, Bobby explained to him that it was a homemade silencer and that he would teach him how to make one.
"Come on, son," Dean said putting his arm around Harry's shoulders, leading him to the garage, "my present's out here."
Dean walked over to something covered with a drop cloth, pulling it back to reveal a 1974 Yamaha DT 1-250 Enduro.
"Wow dad, it's awesome, you got this for me?" he questioned looking the dirt bike over.
"I didn't just bye it, son, I rebuilt it from the ground up, while you were at school," Dean told him, smiling proudly at the bike.
"I don't know what to say," Harry ran his hand over the dirt bike's seat, feeling the leather.
"You don't need to say anything, son, you deserve it," Dean said pulling Harry into a hug.
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Harry sat in the common room in front of the fire writting a letter to his family, when Hermione and Ron walked in sitting next to him.
"Did something happen during Christmas break?" Hermione asked taking Harry's letter away from him to get his attention.
"A lot happened during break," Harry responded.
"You know what I mean, Harry, you've been withdrawn, barely talking to anyone and we've also had to hear it third party that your thinking about not coming back to Hogwarts next year," Hermione finished exasperated, leaning back into the couch.
"It's true," Harry started, looking at his best friends, "something did happen and yes, I'm thinking about not coming back next year."
"Why, I thought you loved Hogwarts?" Ron asked.
"I do, but I love my family more and I want to spend more time with them, I'll make sure that I keep in touch with you both, if I decide not come back, your my best friends and I'll never turn my back on either one of you," he told them.
Sighing Ron and Hermione looked at each other, "o.k., we understand, if you do decide not to come back and you ever need us we'll be there for you, no matter what," Hermione said wrapping her arms around Harry's neck.