Okay so I started this chapter a little late since I was busy working on Four Aren't Better Than One with inukagome, but I'll try to pay more attention to some of my other stories! I probably won't update this until after some of my other stories, but hopefully that still means it'll be soon!
I'm also really trying to get into the thick of this arc, which I know I've been saying for a very long time, but I don't want to rush it and I also want to be able to match it with the amount of attention I need to pay to Voldemort - he hasn't been doing a lot in this 'verse so far, which I think is a little OOC. There are a bunch of baddies currently out there, and I'm giving myself the feeling that I'm not really doing enough with them.
I've also written the first few chapters of Alternate Vessels, which is a series of one-shots in this verse - a lot of them will be missing scenes, stuff that already happened but Gabriel didn't see [since this story is from his POV]. Hopefully some of you will check it out! If you do, please be sure to leave a review. But it's so frustrating - there's all this excess material I'd love to post, except it hasn't happened yet in the actual story!
On that note, once I've written a few more chapters expect to see a bunch on that front.
And I finally made canon art for you guys - of Sigyn, Angrboda, and Hel, since I'm better at drawing girls and I wanted to pin down their appearances a bit. The link is on my profile under The Accidental Vessel!
[Leave a review if you were personally traumatized by the finale of season 10 because I'm still crying about it]
"English"
"|Norse|"
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Harry Potter
Gabriel woke up surrounded by several warm weights and someone's head resting on his stomach.
It took him barely any time at all to reorient and realize it was Fenris using him as a pillow, and Slepnir's hair on his face - the latter's ponytail must have come undone during the night. All three of them appeared to be dead asleep, the only noise in the room being steady, quiet breathing.
Slepnir was facing him, as it turned out, and sporting a serious case of bedhead. Gabriel had to struggle not to laugh. He managed to move one hand far enough to brush some of it out of Slepnir's face, making the boy scrunch up his nose.
Whoops.
What a light sleeper.
Slepnir's eyes blinked open, still fuzzy with sleep. He made a disgruntled, sleepy noise, pressing himself into Gabriel's side and throwing one arm over his chest.
"Sorry," Gabriel whispered. Slepnir made another groaning noise and smushed his face into Gabriel's arm.
"|It's too early,|" he muttered.
"|I didn't mean to wake you up.|" Gabriel said quietly, trying not to wake anyone else up.
"Mmmh." Slepnir rolled over, letting one arm rest over his face, then frowned and moved to look at Gabriel properly. "|When did you get home?|"
"|Last night.|" Jormungand, as it turned out, had stayed up late with Adam making the cookies, and the other two boys had already been asleep once Gabriel was reminded that parents generally didn't approve of late nights [courtesy of Adam, who had pointedly commented on it, although Gabriel got the feeling it had been more for Jormungand and not him]. "|You have two weeks with me.|"
"|Only two?|"
"|I know, it's bad luck.|"
"|It isn't bad luck if you leave on purpose,|" Slepnir said petulantly, correcting Gabriel with no small amount of smugness.
"|It is if I have to do it.|" Gabriel pulled Slepnir closer, giving him a one-armed hug and grinning. Slepnir wiggled in Gabriel's hold, pushing him over on the bed and making Fenris fall off of Gabriel.
"|Hey,|" Fenris complained, without opening his eyes.
"|Sorry.|" Slepnir looked only mildly apologetic.
Fenris's loud protest meant that Jormungand had woken up as well, sitting up and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He blearily glanced at the windows, wincing at the sunlight.
"|Now that we're all awake,|" Gabriel said conversationally, "|We might as well have breakfast.|"
"|Yeah!|" Slepnir jumped up, making the mattress bounce and Gabriel laugh at his excitement.
"|Don't try to keep it in or anything,|" he teased.
Jormungand tugged at Gabriel's shirt. "|Pancakes.|" he muttered.
"|I'll see what I can do.|"
Vali was already in the kitchen when they came down. He didn't look at all surprised. "I thought you'd be down eventually."
"Pancakes," Jormungand repeated, this time in English.
Vali snorted, but he stood up and moved towards the pantry. "Again?"
"You can't get tired of pancakes," Slepnir pointed out as if it were obvious.
"You three would know," Vali said teasingly. "It's the first thing he says almost every morning," he added to Gabriel, moving towards the stove with a box in hand. Gabriel assumed it was pancake mix.
"You like pancakes, huh?"
"Vali makes really good ones," Was the only explanation Jormungand offered. He took a seat at the table - he was tall enough now that he didn't need to pull himself up to sit in one.
"I'll take your word for it." Gabriel glanced around, seeing that the trays from last night were still on the counter, stacked haphazardly. "Adam's not up?" He'd pegged the younger Winchester for an early riser.
Vali just shrugged. "I'm always the first one up. Everyone else likes sleeping."
"And you don't?"
"It's just sleeping."
"He's weird," Fenris muttered, making Gabriel stifle a snort and Vali turn around to face them.
"Hey, no insulting the chef. He who makes the food controls it." He warned, pointing a spatula at Fenris.
"I'll get Slepnir's pancakes," Fenris retorted.
"No." Slepnir looked alarmed, scooting away from Fenris. Gabriel just grinned at the friendly bickering.
The smell of pancakes cooking must have attracted Narvi, because he poked his head into the kitchen a few moments later. "Ah, I should have known." He dropped into one of the only free chairs, propping his feet on the other one. "Are you going to be done soon?"
"If you want pancakes that badly then you can help, you freeloader," Vali retorted.
"Me, a freeloader?" Narvi put his hand over his heart in mock offense, making Slepnir giggle. "Never."
"You liar. You're still mentally stuck on the beat generation." Vali slid a plate over to the table without moving from the stove - an impressive feat of magic, since the table was a few feat away, but so casually done that Vali made it look like some humble everyday trick. Gabriel wondered who had taught him.
"The beat generation was amazing, you're just still mad that Kerouac liked me more-"
"Oh, please."
"The beat generation?" Gabriel had to mentally rewind before he recognized the name. "What, those hipster writers in the fifties in America?" It was odd to think that he'd been in the same country as the twins for possibly an entire decade and they'd never crossed paths.
Narvi looked almost scandalized, but Vali just laughed. "I told you they were hipsters," he said smugly. "And you still are."
"There's nothing wrong with trying to be unique," Narvi protested.
"You're not trying to be unique," Vali said dryly, "Your sense of what's popular just stops in 1950."
"You don't look like you're from 1950," Jormungand said through a mouthful of pancakes. Someone, at some point, had retrieved the syrup from wherever it had been [Gabriel hadn't known they had syrup or pancake mix]. "I've seen pictures. They had really pretty skirts."
"That was the girls, mostly." Narvi shrugged. "I was never into that much. Skirts are pointless."
"If you're talking about me, I hope you're not." Hel - who, as she often was, was wearing a skirt - swept into the kitchen, glancing at where Vali was turning off the stove with a sizable stack of pancakes on a plate. "Again?"
"By popular request." The plate was moved to the table and Vali shoved his twin's feet off the only unoccupied chair to sit down. Hel took a seat on one of the stools at the counter, which must have been installed at some point during Gabriel's absence.
"It's nice to see you again," she said to Gabriel, who grinned back.
"Been having fun while I wasn't watching?"
"I really doubt you'd have cared even if you were here," Narvi said. "Nothing big happened."
"You almost set the couch on fire," Jormungand said.
"It wasn't almost," Fenris objected. "It was definitely real fire."
Narvi sputtered, but Gabriel laughed. "Why is it always the couch?" he asked through it.
"That thing's hideous," Vali offered. "Honestly, I almost didn't put it out."
"Blame Balthazar for that."
"Oh believe me, I do." Vali rolled his eyes. "I've tried to change it, but someone keeps changing the pattern back."
"I thought we were doing a game," Fenris said with a completely innocent face. Vali stared.
Gabriel laughed.
Adam appeared later in the day, and either he was bored or something else was up. Gabriel had never been that great with the intricacies of human emotion.
"Hey, Winchester!"
Gabriel saw Adam stop abruptly. When he turned around, though, he didn't look particularly happy. "My last name's Milligan," he said.
Gabriel shrugged. "Whichever. Adam. You're not gonna have any of the cookies you made?"
Adam's mouth flattened slightly. "Not in the mood."
"You made 'em." Gabriel frowned at the boy. "What's up with you?"
"Nothing," Adam said sharply, and then looked suddenly apologetic. "I mean-" he shifted. "I'm just used to spending Christmas with my family."
Gabriel gave Adam a long look, putting his feet down from where he'd propped them on a chair. He was aware that Adam didn't have any surviving immediate family; the 'perks' of being related to the Winchesters, however distantly.
"It's not important-"
"Yes, it is."
Adam stopped short, obviously not having expected the immediate reply.
"I could always call up your brothers, you know," Gabriel offered, trying to play it off as no big deal. "They may be annoying-"
"Why?" Adam look bewildered. "I - it just doesn't-"
"Seem like something I'd do?" Gabriel finished dryly, making Adam look even more awkward.
"Well-"
"No, you're right. Normally I wouldn't." Gabriel got up, hands in his pockets.
"Then..." Adam looked at him askance, trailing off leadingly.
"I get it, alright?" Gabriel shrugged. "I know what it's like."
Adam seemed to immediately understand what Gabriel meant. "You've got a family, though." He said.
"I did sort of just get them back."
"Back? From where?"
Gabriel's chilly look made Adam wisely back off. He rubbed at his neck, obviously thrown off balance. "I'd like that," he said quietly. "If you called them, I mean."
"Cool." Gabriel clapped his hands together, then as an afterthought took a cookie off the plate and chucked it at Adam. Adam nearly didn't catch it.
"What was that for?"
"It's Christmas. Eat it."
Adam huffed. "You're like a million years old, and you're going around throwing cookies at people? Nice," he finished sarcastically.
"No one ever said age had to do with maturity." Gabriel flashed Adam a grin. "And if they did, they're wrong."
"Yo, Cassie."
Castiel frowned. "What kind of nickname is that?"
"Cas is already taken. I'm improvising." Gabriel leaned nonchalantly against the doorway. "Feel like helping me out with something?"
Castiel's frown didn't lessen. "Helping you with what?"
"Well, helping me help Adam, which would fit in perfectly with that thing you're got where you like the Winchesters-" Gabriel paused at Castiel's flat stare. "Alright, fine, not the best way to convince you. C'mon, you owe me one."
Castiel still looked doubtful. "What exactly are you planning to do to him?"
"Nothing to him. You've got such a bad opinion of me." Gabriel rolled his eyes. "No idea why. It'll be fun, I promise." He was already reaching for Castiel's arm, giving his brother no time to protest.
Gabriel had no trouble dragging Castiel with him between worlds, and the latter stiffened as soon as they landed.
"Cas?" Sam stood up hurriedly. "Uh - Gabriel?" The bunker was empty of anyone save Sam, as far as Gabriel could tell without looking for anyone else using something other than his vessel's eyes. He didn't doubt Dean was holed up somewhere else.
"Gabriel." Castiel didn't sound happy. "What are we doing here?"
"I'm kinda wondering that, too," Sam said. "I mean - it's good to see you again, Cas, but-"
"I'm just doing a favor for Adam. Castiel is helping." Gabriel had already wandered away from the two of them, closer to the door. "Your bro says hi, by the way, and is really the only reason I'm here."
"Adam? Why-" Sam looked at Castiel, bewildered.
"Don't look at me, Gabriel hasn't told me anything either." Castiel sounded aggrieved. "He mentioned something about a favor."
"You're doing Adam a favor?" Sam sounded skeptical as he looked back at Gabriel, who threw his hands out.
"Why is it that everyone's so surprised when they hear that?" He scoffed. "Like I've never done anything nice for anyone?"
Whatever [undoubtedly incredibly witty] reply either of them might have come up with was interrupted by Dean walking in. "Hey, Sam, about that lead we were-" He froze as soon as he saw Castiel.
Castiel stiffened, too, but not in a good way. He was glaring at Gabriel, as if that would do anything.
"Cas?" Dean took a step forward. "I-"
Castiel turned away, his face a set mask. "Gabriel, I don't know what your point was in coming here."
"I told you, I'm doing a favor for Adam." Gabriel didn't glance behind him at Dean, but he didn't need to to know that the older Winchester's attention had just sharpened. "It's Christmas. Isn't that a family holiday?"
"Does Adam know you're doing this?" Sam asked.
Gabriel made an exasperated noise. "Is that really what you think of me, Sam? Yes, he knows. Why wouldn't he?"
"It is you we're talking about," Dean said, the reply sounding almost automatic, his attention still on Castiel.
Gabriel only shrugged. "Fair enough. He did ask to see you, though."
"He did?" Sam looked startled. "I didn't think he'd want to."
"That's your self-esteem problems talking," Gabriel replied, probably far more cheerfully than was really necessary. "Let's go, unless you'd rather spend an hour here dissecting my character?"
"Whoa, whoa, wait." Dean stepped forward hurriedly. "Cas - can we talk?"
If Gabriel had been listening to angel radio, he was pretty sure he'd have heard Castiel swearing at him profusely. "You made your opinion clear the last time we did," he said tightly, and Sam started inching towards the door as well.
"Five minutes, Cas, please."
Gabriel took the opportunity to close the door, since he and Sam were both outside it at that point.
"You planned that, didn't you?"
"You catch on quick, Sam." Gabriel grinned. "Would you want Castiel moping around your house forever?"
"Is that what he's been doing?" Sam huffed, and then paused. "We're not going to wherever you've..."
"My house?" Gabriel raised his eyebrows. "No way. I'll keep some things to myself, thanks."
Curiosity flashed over Sam's face, but he didn't push it. "Adam's alright, isn't he?" he asked slowly, following Gabriel as the latter set off aimlessly through the bunker's halls.
"Kid's fine. I haven't seen much of him." Gabriel shrugged. "Busy with other stuff."
Sam opened his mouth, then hesitated and closed it, obviously dying to ask what Gabriel meant by 'stuff'. "I just thought...I mean, who knows what he remembers-"
"You mean the Cage?"
Sam didn't flinch, but it was close. "Yeah," he said finally. "I know how nasty that is."
"Lucky he was never in it, then."
Sam did a double take. "He wasn't? That's not-"
"Possible?" Gabriel suggested, giving Sam a really look. "If he was, somehow, in the Cage at any point, then he doesn't remember a bit of it and managed to get out completely unhurt. That sound realistic to you?"
Still looking taken aback, Sam shook his head. "Guess not." He was quiet for a moment. "That's good. Adam didn't - doesn't deserve something like that."
The room the hallway they were in led to another meeting room, of sorts, or at least Gabriel guessed it was. It was also occupied.
"Gabriel." Muriel rose to her feet, looking startled. "I wasn't aware you were coming."
"I didn't exactly call ahead." Gabriel glanced over Muriel's Grace. There were traces of old wounds he hadn't noticed before, but she didn't look nearly as nervous as she had the last time they'd met. "You look better."
"I've had...time." Muriel glanced at Sam. "I've been staying here, for the time being. The wealth of knowledge these Men of Letters possessed is quite surprising."
"Yeah, apparently they had some contact with angels." Sam shrugged. "Enough to know a fair bit about them - er, you."
Gabriel made a mental note to figure out exactly how much the Men of Letters knew about angels. "Sounds fascinating," he said dryly. "You should probably go make sure my brother hasn't torn up half the room trying not to hit Dean out of frustration, you know."
Sam looked like he'd just realized that that was a distinct possibility - Castiel was an angel, after all. Either that, or he got the hint that Gabriel didn't want him in the room. He backed out, disappearing down the hallway.
Muriel looked nervous, so Gabriel took a seat at the table. She was still standing, giving her a distinct height advantage - even with both of them standing, hers was taller than his. "You seem like you're holding up well."
"Well enough." Muriel sat on the edge of the table, cautiously, as if she weren't sure how to behave around Gabriel. "Did you...want to speak to me?"
"Something like that." Gabriel replied leisurely. "I was sort of wondering if you'd left anything else interesting behind at Hogwarts."
Muriel started at the name, hands clenching reflexively. "I-" She fumbled the sentence. "You know - you've been there?"
"More on accident than anything else, but yeah." Gabriel grinned, trying to relax the situation. "Hell of a legacy you've got over there, Rowena."
Muriel's stare was more incredulous than anything. "You," she began hesitantly, "Did find my letter, right?"
"About the Horn? Yep." Gabriel folded his hands behind his head, leaning backwards. "Not like I ever had any reason to use it after that. Why would I be mad?"
Muriel relaxed, posture slumping and her head falling forward. "That's, ah, good." Her relief was palpable.
"So?" Gabriel pressed after a moment. "Did you?"
It took Muriel a moment to remember his question. "Ah - no, I didn't leave much else behind. If you're speaking of anything other than my room." She slid into one of the chairs opposite Gabriel. "What is it like there, now?" She sounded longing.
"You could always go back." Gabriel suggested.
"As what, a teacher? My vessel's too old to be a student. Besides, I don't have any of their magic anymore." Muriel eyed him oddly. "How did you come across that vessel?"
"How'd you find yours?" Gabriel retorted. "Besides, if you tracked down the Order of the Phoenix I'm sure they'd give you an in. Just don't mention me. They're not my biggest fans."
Muriel frowned. "Why not? Surely if they know who you are-"
"They're more concerned with my vessel, honestly, considering I was undercover for a few years." Gabriel made a dismissive noise. "Humans get hung up over the little things sometimes. Anyway, if you told them you'd been around when Hogwarts was being built they'd probably hire you on the spot."
"I doubt that. There would have to be a position already open," Muriel pointed out.
"Well the Defense teacher either leaves or gets killed off every year, so I'd say your chances are pretty good."
"That...doesn't sound like a good thing." Muriel was quiet for a moment. "I don't know, Gabriel. But...I'd like to see it again."
"No one's stopping you." Gabriel pointed out.
"I suppose that's true." Muriel smiled briefly. "You were going back to that world, weren't you?"
"Yeah. Stick the Winchesters somewhere and then bail. I'm not hanging around for that discussion."
"What's so bad about it?" Muriel's brow scrunched in confusion.
"It's going to either end up as a three-hour manpain fest, or them avoiding talking about anything important while simultaneously trying to get to know each other." Gabriel rolled his eyes. "No, thanks."
"I thought they were brothers."
"Yeah, but the one I'm doing a favor for - Adam - only knew them for about a week. At most." Gabriel informed her. "It's not like he knows them very well."
"It sounds like it's a good idea for them to reconnect, then. I know humans value family." Muriel hesitated again, and then seemed to steel herself. "I would like to go back. To Hogwarts. Just to see it again, before I make a decision."
"I wasn't planning on making the decision for you." Gabriel stood up, pushing his chair back. "I'm sure Castiel can take the Winchesters to Adam, anyway."
"Wouldn't it be polite to let them know that we were going?" Muriel stood up as well, nodding her head to the doorway Sam had disappeared through.
"Well, yeah, I guess." Gabriel had never really been that bothered about being polite, unless he was playing a role that required it.
Muriel seemed to take that as agreement, vanishing with a flutter of wings. Gabriel rolled his eyes before following her.
Castiel and Dean were in some sort of stare-off, or else they were staring at each other while imagining making out. Muriel looked like she wasn't sure what to think of the scene. Sam just looked exasperated.
Gabriel cleared his throat pointedly. "We were going somewhere?"
"You're coming, too?" Dean looked sharply at him.
"Hell no. Castiel can grab Adam and take you wherever. I've got other stuff to do." Gabriel retorted.
"Like what?" Sam looked suddenly suspicious, glancing over at Gabriel, probably thinking of the Trickster.
"Like none of your business." Gabriel flashed a grin at him. "In any case, Castiel already knows where Adam is. None of you are allowed to stay at my house while you talk, by the way. Seeya."
Gabriel took off before any of them had time to protest, winding through space and between worlds until he was back where he wanted to be.
Sort of.
He paused when he noticed Adam hanging around central London, landing invisibly and immediately understanding when he realized the kid had picked a restaurant. He was probably waiting for the Winchesters.
Gabriel would have left then, if he hadn't noticed the demon.
And his day was going so well.
SUPER LONG CHAPTER I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK THIS LONG TO UPDATE
Read and review, please?