CHAPTER TWENTY
Summary: Nine years after the war, Hermione's the Head of the Auror Department that specialises in dealing with Magical Creatures and fugitive Death Eaters that are loose in the Muggle World. With the fugitive Death Eaters no longer hiding in Britain, she's tracking rogue Death Eaters in the United States, which leads her to The Winchester brothers. The Witch and The Hunters are a dynamic trio that no creature, being or beast wishes to mess with, Magical or Supernatural. Hermione/Dean pairing. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: I don't own original canon characters or events, just those that I create myself. Everything belongs to J.K Rowling and the creators of Supernatural. I am not making a profit posting this fanfic.
Page count: 7
Dean exited the bathroom freshly showered and dressed, to see that Hermione was still asleep. His eyes caught the shine on the bedside table and he walked over to it and found the ring of a soda can, remembering that her friend, Harry, had told him to say the password when she woke. He frowned, looking down at the small object as he struggled to remember the passcode.
"Chocolate cake?" He guessed. "Cupcake? Apple pie? Treacle Tart?"
He startled and his hand grabbed his gun off the bedside table, as there was a 'thud' and her friend stood in the bathroom doorway dressed in grey robes with his glasses askew.
"Fucking hell," he muttered in surprise. "Where'd you come from?"
"London," Harry shrugged his shoulders. Dean didn't bother looking sceptical at his answer. "So, I take it she woke up?"
"She woke last night for about half an hour and then fell back asleep, she hasn't woken yet."
"Actually, I'm awake now," Hermione's groggy voice flittered to their ears and they turned to look at her as she rolled over onto her back, stretched her arms above her head and then sat up, giving a yawn and rubbing at her eyes.
"How long have you been awake?" Dean asked her anxiously. He hoped she hadn't heard his conversation with Sam.
"You woke me up trying to remember the activation code," she told him, looking amused.
"How are you feeling?" Harry pulled her attention and he sat down on the bed next to her, taking her hand in his.
She smiled at him. "I feel great, well, I would die for a shower and a toothbrush and I would murder for some food, I'm starving." He chuckled at her. "But other than that, I'm completely fine."
"Hermione, you can never find yourself in that situation again," Harry said, looking at her sternly and she snorted at him before reaching up to right his glasses.
"Yes, Harry, I know, I've already been given the speech by Dean who relayed Castiel's message. I've no doubt Kingsley will give me the riot act when I next see him, and don't even get me started on Draco, please tell me you didn't tell anyone."
"Ginny is unaware, as is Molly and the boys," he confirmed.
"Thank Merlin," she sighed and he chuckled at her. "Anyway, now that the Death Eater factions have been wiped out, I'll be focusing on magical beings and creatures, there's less chance of being tortured and more chance of being bitten or scratched, and I think there's enough lupine traits in our family, wouldn't you agree?"
Harry nodded, thinking of Bill and Teddy. "You can come back to England, Ginny'll be ecstatic to have you back full time and I know Minerva has asked once or twice when you're returning, I think she wants to offer you a Professor's position at Hogwarts. Of course, the kids will be over the moon to have their favourite Aunt 'Mione back and..."
Dean's stomach gave a hard tug and he felt something inside of him clench, hearing Harry speak of her going back to England, he didn't like the thought of it and he couldn't explain why; it was annoying beyond belief.
"Harry," she said softly, cutting him off and he stopped and looked at her with a frown. "I love you and Ginny, and my Godchildren, you know I do and I would do anything and everything for you, but I'm not coming back."
He stared at her in surprise and Dean visibly relaxed, moving to take a seat at the table, still being able to hear their conversation but giving them a semblance of privacy.
"I can't come back, I like it here. I get to travel the US without being recognised everywhere I go and I have far fewer people asking me for autographs and interviews and photos. I don't have many articles written about me and published, especially over stupid little things such as what I had for breakfast and how I wore my hair on that particular day. I don't have to worry about the press following me or getting themselves caught in any of my cases. I'm needed here, far more than I am back in England. You all have families and I don't, as much as I love you and everyone, I'm alone. It's just me and Ricky," she looked at him sadly. "I can't have what you have, or what Bill and Fleur have, or George and Angelina, Percy and Aubrey, even Charlie and Claire. Draco has everything under control and I trust him to keep watch over those in England. The US has almost three times more magical creature cases than England, and their RCMC Department is severely lacking, particularly since they don't have a Muggle World division which has more than proved to be needed. This is where I'm needed and this is where I can make a difference. Someday when I'm older, I may come back permanently and I just may take up Minerva on her offer and become a Professor and teach at Hogwarts, but not now. I'm only twenty-six and you know as well as I, we have far longer life spans than muggles."
"But...I need you, you're my sister," he frowned.
"And you'll always be my little brother, Harry, nothing will change that. I'll visit every couple of weeks like before; just don't expect me to stay for longer than a couple of days at a time."
She could see that her declaration was taking its toll on him and then he sighed.
"Okay, I respect your decision and I'm not going to argue with you, it's your life and you need to do what's best for you and what makes you happy."
"Thank you, Harry, I'll still be in contact with those under my command, but all of my cases will be entirely focused in the US, unless I'm called for backup from one of my agents."
Harry's wand buzzes and he sighed, pulling it out of his robes and cancelling the alarm. "I have to go, I have a meeting with Kingsley regarding those captured and killed the other day."
She smiled at him."Rather you than me," she said and he chuckled at her, shaking his head. "Give Kingsley my best and tell those Godchildren of mine that I'll visit them soon with plenty of presents."
"You spoil them," Harry commented amusedly.
"Of course I do, it's a Godmother's duty to spoil her Godchildren and allow them to do the things the parents don't," she informed him and he snorted at her.
"I don't know who's the worst influence on the children, you or George."
"I think it's a tie, we're both as bad as each other, just in different ways," she mused.
"Now that I'll agree with," he chuckled. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead and she smiled at him as he stood, stepping back and removing a quill from his robe pocket. "Before I forget, Kingsley said that you thought the Death Eaters were carrying out a ritual of some sort, did you find any evidence of which one it could've been?"
She saw the frown on his face and anxiety and fear flashed through his eyes. "Yes, I was wrong, there was no ritual involved. It was just a coincidence that there were three deaths in each state, just a crime of opportunity," she smiled at him.
He visibly relaxed and he smiled at her. "Good, that's good, I'll see you soon."
"You will," she promised and he disappeared from view after her words and her smile immediately dropped.
"Why'd you lie to him?"
"Sorry?" She turned to Dean who was watching her carefully.
He propped his elbows against his thighs with his hands clasped together and he leaned forward, even with the distance between them, she could feel his eyes piercing her with his stare.
"Why'd you lie to your friend?"
"I didn't," she denied.
"Yeah, you did,"
"Did not,"
"Did,"
"Did not,"
"Did,"
"Moron!"
"Jerk!"
"Dickhead!"
He laughed at her and her scowl turned into a small smile. "You lied to him and don't deny it, I know you did." She frowned at his words. "Why'd you lie to him?"
She sighed in defeat. "There was a ritual involved and thankfully we took down the faction before it was too late and the ritual remains incomplete. Twenty-seven deaths in total, three in each State, all happening within a week of each other. There was indeed no connection between the victims, everything was different from age to gender to race to hobbies, nothing was connecting them, except for one thing."
"Which is?" He arched an eyebrow.
"They were innocent," she said softly. "The location of the murders plots out on the map in the shape of the snake from the dark mark, Voldemort's mark. They were trying to resurrect him and due to him having no soul, as we destroyed every part of it, there's nothing to bring him back. As a result, there had to be a number of souls to take his place, sort of like rebuilding his own soul by using innocent souls as they're pure and strong and magical. It didn't matter whether they possessed magic or not, it just mattered that they were innocent. Anyone that possessed the dark mark would've called him back from the grave, whether they knew of the ritual or not; it would happen automatically due to the strategic placing of the murders and the final resurrection point." He started at her surprised. "There is no way Voldemort can return, we made sure of it, but if Harry discovered that they were trying to resurrect Him..." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, which was knotted and she growled when her fingers got tangled. "It wouldn't have been good for him. He's come remarkably far since the end of the war and he no longer has the pressure of saving the world on his shoulders, he no longer has constant threats of death hanging over his head. He's finally happy and he deserves that. Telling him the truth would've affected all of that in ways I can't even predict. By not telling him, I'm protecting him from himself, from his worries, fears and thoughts."
He slowly nodded, understanding her point. There were things he kept from Sam for similar reasons, wanting to protect him from himself.
"So, please don't tell Harry, or anyone for that matter, what I shared with you just now."
"Our little secret, scout's honour," he replied, doing the scout salute.
"Were you even in the scouts?"
"No, but I still have honour," he shrugged and she eyed him, amusement shining in her orbs.
"Where's Sam?" She asked him.
"Getting breakfast," he replied.
"That man is my hero, I'm starving," she sighed, flopping back onto the mattress and he chuckled at her. "I need a shower and to brush my teeth, and to brush the bird's nest on my head, and I need to pee," she listed off, before pulling the blanket off herself and sitting up, climbing out of bed.
He jumped and ran to her as her legs suddenly gave way and she collapsed on the floor.
"I'm okay, I'm alright, my legs have just fallen asleep," she told him as he helped her to stand up and she gripped his arms for balance.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, looking down at her in concern.
"Perfectly fine, just stood up too quickly, can you get me my wand please?" She asked. He slowly let go of her, making sure she had her balance before doing as she asked. "Thank you," she made her way to the bathroom, though it was a little tricky given her legs felt heavy and as if they weren't actually working. "Give me a shout if Sam gets back before I come out," she said, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
~000~000~000~
Hermione had only been in the bathroom for fifteen minutes when Sam walked through the door, carrying a tray of styrofoam cups and a brown paper bag filled with food. He gave a quizzical look towards the now empty bed and looked to Dean for answers.
"She's in the bathroom," he explained, his eyes watching hungrily as Sam placed the breakfast on the table, beginning to remove the food he had purchased.
"Where's yours?" Dean asked, seeing that Sam removed two containers, both filled with bacon, eggs, toast and sausages.
"I ate mine whilst I waited for the order," he shrugged and he picked up a cup and took a swig, handing the other coffee to Dean.
Sam watched happily as Dean was back to his old self, all but inhaling the food, and he suspected they would be making several pit-stops on the way to Bobby's to purchase not only fuel but plenty of junk food, too. This time Sam wouldn't complain about the amount of unhealthy foods his brother ate.
Dean suddenly stopped eating and looked to the bathroom door. "Food's here!" He called.
"I'll be out in a minute!" Hermione called back, her voice slightly muffled as she was likely brushing her teeth.
Dean returned to eating and precisely a minute later, Hermione exited the bathroom and walked towards the table. Her hair was wet and balled up on top of her head, secured by her wand. She wore an oversized jumper that must've belonged to someone else at some point, seeing that the writing on it was faded and the size was far too big for her small frame. Her jumper was paired with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and well-worn converse.
She beamed at Sam as he stood from the table and met her half-way, giving her a tight hug.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, pulling back to look down at her and checking for injuries, though he knew there was none to find, it was just a conscious action.
"I feel great," she grinned. "But I'd feel even better once I get some food into me, I'm starving."
He chuckled at her. 'Yeah, she was back,' he thought amused.
"Well, here you go; I can't keep the lady waiting." He handed her the container of food and she looked down at it lovingly, a similar expression to when Dean saw pie.
"You're my hero," she sighed, before standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss of thanks to his cheek and moving to sit in the chair Sam offered her.
"I got you some tea." He handed her the cup and she stared at him surprised. "I made sure they made it how you like it, a third milk, no sugar and the tea bag left in for two minutes."
"How do you know how I like my tea?" She raised an eyebrow and took a sip, her eyes closing as the hot familiar liquid slid down her throat, warming her up from the inside and a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.
"I watched and I learned," he shrugged as he moved to sit on his bed. "So what's the plan today then?"
She sighed. "I should probably write my report of what happened and send it to the office, Godric, that's going to take hours," she groaned, rubbing at her temples at the thought of the headache she would surely have when she was finished.
"Rather you than me," Dean muttered and she sighed, taking another sip of her tea and then continuing to eat her breakfast. "Bobby asked me to tell you to call him when you woke."
"Wonderful, just what I need, Bobby yelling insults down the phone."
Sam snorted and Dean smirked at her.
"Rather you than me," he repeated.
"Why don't you come with us?" Sam suggested; she looked up at him surprised.
"Sorry?"
"I said, why don't you come with us?"
"So I can have Bobby insult me to my face instead?" She asked with her head tilted to the side, giving him a look that conveyed she had no idea what was going through his mind for him to suggest such a thing and both Winchesters snorted at her.
"Of course, come on, one last road trip, The Witch and The Hunters," he grinned.
She looked to Dean with a questioning gaze and an arched eyebrow.
He shrugged his shoulders. "You should come," he agreed. She looked at him slightly surprised and she felt her cheeks heat up. His mouth twitched when he saw her reaction. "Now we can outvote Sammy on music choice."
"Awesome," Sam groaned.
"Don't worry, I've got a Silencing Charm with your name on it," Hermione promised.
"Now you, Hermione Granger, are my hero." She laughed at him. "So after you both finish eating breakfast, we'll pack up and head to Bobby's."
"That's a long ass drive," Dean grumbled.
"Well just drive through the night, no stopping at motels this time, we'll take shifts," Sam shrugged.
"Well sorry, boys, but I'm not going anywhere near the driver's seat," she said.
"Not unless we want some helpless Bambi being turned into roadkill," Sam snorted and she scowled at him.
"You, Sam Winchester, are no longer being equipped with a Silencing Charm. You have to suffer through the music choice for the entire journey."
Dean burst into laughter at the look on Sam's face, a cross between shock, horror and a grimace.
"I like your style, Witch," he said through his laughter. She scowled at him and crossed her arms, huffing and muttering insults under her breath.
'This is going to be entertaining,' Dean thought amused, as he watched as Hermione and Sam began to bicker and argue about 'promising something and then taking it away' and being an 'arsehole that most certainly wasn't as funny as he thinks he is.'