I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks to all of those who reviewed - I promise I'll answer your questions soon! Eventually. Maybe. The story will get there at some point. That's really all I can offer.
I have created so many possible directions for this story to go in I'm not sure what to do about them! This is the problem of the method I use when writing.
I thought it was a little awkward at the end, since I'm trying to write part of the summer while still leaving most of it for the next chapter, but oh well. I did my best!
Anyway, the usual, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Harry Potter.
The fallout from Gabriel's trip through the trapdoor and Quirrel's subsequent death was surprisingly small.
A short announcement was given at dinner, almost an entire week later, that Professor Quirrel had left early due to unknown personal reasons. Gabriel, trying to conceal his smile at the phrase 'personal reasons' kept getting elbowed by Michael, who seemed endlessly confused as to why he kept giggling in the middle of dinner.
There was never an announcement as to what had happened that night in June - since none of the students save Hermione and Gabriel even knew of the dog in the third floor corridor, much less the series of challenges which lay under its guard, there was no need to. And since none of the students except for Gabriel even knew what had really happened to Quirrel, it was doubly unnecessary for the teachers to tell anyone.
Gabriel was sure that they had been endlessly confused by it. The teachers looked a little harried in the days leading up to the end of the school year, and Gabriel was sure that when Dumbledore had returned from wherever he'd been a crisis had immediately confronted him.
Everyone had done well on their exams - Hermione, as it turned out, had managed to get a hundred and twelve percent on her Charms exam. Gabriel wasn't quite sure how, as no extra credit had been offered that he remembered.
Michael had done slightly better than him in some subjects, of course, but Hermione's scores beat everyone. One of the first-year Ravenclaw girls actually pinned Michael down and made him promise to tell her once he figured out how Hermione had done so well, to which ne nervously agreed.
Gabriel had done well enough on everything. Well enough to get into second year, at least, but in most cases better than the barest minimum. Something must have remain from the studying Hermione had forced him and Michael to do with her, because surprisingly enough he didn't fail his written History of Magic portion.
It was only as they were getting on the train for the ride back to London that Gabriel realized that he still had no clue what, exactly, he's stopped Quirrel from getting.
I'll end up resorted into Gryffindor at this rate, He thought to himself as Hermione dragged him and Michael into a compartment. I think my vessel's been affecting me.
Hermione eagerly asked for telephone numbers, but Michael's family didn't have a phone and Gabriel blatantly told her that if she called him 'his' relatives would probably answer first and refuse to hand over the phone.
"At least owls don't need an address," said Michael helpfully, but they both looked a bit put out by Gabriel's prediction.
"Well then, I'll send lots of letters. And you two had better reply," said Hermione sharply. "My parents already asked over Christmas break if they could meet you two."
"Meet us?"
"Meet up over the summer? I don't know," Hermione said exasperatedly. "They just asked if they could."
"I'd probably be in London for most of break," said Gabriel, shrugging. Going back to the Dursley's wasn't the most attractive option, but he could just spend lots of time out of the house. It wasn't like they'd care. Besides, even if he didn't go back to Privet Drive Gabriel doubted he could find a place which rented rooms to an eleven-year-old.
Michael looked to be at a loss. "I live sort of down south," he offered. "Near London, I suppose, but not very close. It's a good thing we've got a Floo, I suppose, because otherwise it would have taken ages to drive up here."
Hermione looked disappointed. "You don't have to," she said nonetheless. "It was just my parents talking. They've probably forgotten about it by now."
Michael nodded distantly. They passed most of the ride playing Exploding Snap, which Michael had to teach them how to play, since neither Gabriel nor Hermione knew the rules. Gabriel nearly swore when one of the cards blew up in his face, and Hermione eventually relented and lent him a handkerchief to wipe the soot off his face.
"Wizards take everything so literally. Exploding Snap cards that actually explode, every-flavor beans with things like grass and earwax - it's ridiculous," said Gabriel as Michael packed the cards away. The sun was reaching towards the horizon, which meant they would be back in London soon. Even the fields outside the window were becoming more orderly.
"I think it's quite fun, really." said Hermione. "It's the magic bit of the whole 'magical world'."
"I suppose."
"Oh, come off it Harry, you don't like anything!"
"I do!"
"What's one thing you haven't disliked? You don't like how literal they are, you don't like Christmas-" Michael jumped in, listing off things and counting in nir fingers.
"I don't dislike Christmas-"
"Oh, so I just imagined your attitude over break?"
"I didn't say I liked it, there's a difference."
"That's the same thing!"
"No, he's right," said Hermione, looking amused. "But it's just a technicality."
"HAH!"
"How come you're taking his side? You can't just switch!"
"I'm not switching!"
"You were on my side in the beginning!"
"If it helps, I'm on your side, Michael."
"You're the one I'm arguing with!"
King's Cross was just as crowded as it had been on September first. On the wizard side of the barrier there was a guard who sent them through in twos and threes, probably to make sure that ten of them didn't burst out at once and alert the Muggles.
There were parents strewn around the platform, waiting for their kids. As Gabriel passed through the barrier guarding Platform Nine and three quarters, he wasn't surprised to see that the Dursleys were nowhere in sight.
"Where are your relatives?" Hermione asked, as she and Gabriel were still walking together. Michael had gone off with his parents, Flooing away and promising to write lots of letters.
"Probably just waiting outside," Gabriel lied. He'd had to take a bus up to London in September, and it was no great stretch to see that the Dursleys expected him to do the same thing to get to their house. It was more tempting than ever to just stay at the pub in Diagon Alley all summer.
Hermione looked only mildly reassured, but as she spotted her parents Gabriel slipped away through the crowd. If adults got involved then they'd probably insist on accompanying him outside, which would only raise a load of awkward questions.
The money Gabriel had taken from the vault he'd been left had only been used to buy his things for the upcoming school year. As he'd simply swept a load of coins into the bag, there appeared to be plenty of it left. He'd also noticed a Galleon-to-pound exchange counter at Gringotts, which he'd used just in case. As Gabriel caught a bus just outside of the station, it seemed that the idea had been smarter than he'd thought.
He'd have to hide his money pouch well - if the Dursleys ever caught wind of how many pounds he had, never mind the gold, they'd take it before he could say 'extortion'.
The bus only took him so far, though, and Gabriel ended up walking several blocks to get to Privet Drive. As he arrived on the front door, he thought he saw someone peering though the curtains from across the street.
The aunt answered the door.
"Hello," Gabriel said. "Unfortunately I'm stuck here over the summer."
The aunt's eyes darted to the window of the house across the street, where a curtain was hastily pulled shut. "Get inside," she hissed.
As Gabriel stepped over the threshold the aunt practically slammed the door behind him. She eyed his trunk warily.
"I'll just be going upstairs." Gabriel hauled his trunk up the carpeted stairs and found that his room seemed to have reverted to what its original purpose had been - someone [most likely Dudley] had tossed a load of broken toys and candy wrappers onto the floor and various other surfaces. Gabriel eyed the mess distastefully and let his trunk thump onto the ground, wondering if he should really waste his Grace cleaning it up.
"Home sweet home," he said sarcastically to himself. "What a great summer this is going to be."
Summer that year on Privet Drive was simultaneously the worst and the best that Gabriel had ever had, for two reasons. The best, because the Dursleys ignored him the entire time and now he could actually go out and do stuff, thanks to his exchanged money. And the worst, because for some reason Hermione and Michael had decided to not write to him. At all.
"We'll write lots, we promise," Gabriel muttered to himself as he walked around somewhere near what counted as downtown in this tiny suburb. "Lots and none at all it is, then." He'd entertained himself by reading the Lord of the Rings books Hermione had given him for Christmas, and found a copy of the Hobbit included which he hadn't noticed before.
"Maybe Hermione hasn't sent anything because she hasn't got an owl," Gabriel mused, and then grimaced at his own hopefulness. He was turning into an actual child. This was ridiculous.
Screw them, he thought. If they're going to be like that I suppose I won't send anything either. Not that I could. Gabriel didn't even own an owl.
And Hermione not having an owl either would be no excuse - she'd even asked for his Muggle address, and Gabriel had given it, so an owl wasn't even necessary.
Maybe she forgot it? Gabriel told the childish voice sitting in the back of his mind to shut up.
He kicked at a stone on the sidewalk in front of him as he wandered past brightly colored storefronts and under the mild shade of their awnings. All the time he spent away from the Dursley's house couldn't stop him from being completely and utterly bored. There was nothing interesting to do, and even the money he'd exchanged couldn't buy puzzles or anything even remotely challenging.
This summer was shaping up to be absolutely horrible.
"There's nothing to do," Gabriel griped. "It's - what the hell?"
He had paused by the window of the bookstore he was passing. There was a large poster tacked up on it, which featured a posed actor and the words 'The Guardian Angel'. It wouldn't have attracted his attention at all, had the name 'Gabriel' not been typed in the corner. The word 'Dominion' was emblazoned over the top of the poster, with smaller words underneath it declaring that it was on television at eight o'clock on Thursday.
"The fuck?"
Leave a review, please?
Yes, I known that Dominion is more recent that 1991. However, time is screwy on this Earth compared to the other ones, and as the author I declare that it is actually 2013 as of right now in the story. This is for an actual purpose which will come about later in the story. Be patient.
Hope the end of the chapter wasn't too sloppy. It was written a bit hastily.