CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
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: 9
When Sam returned to the motel an hour later, both Hermione and Dean were dressed, though hadn't he already known what they'd been up to before he left, it wouldn't be difficult for him to figure it out by their rumpled clothing and messy hair, not to mention Hermione had some mouth shaped bruises forming on her neck.
He shivered and shook the thought away, and thankfully, Hermione was no longer wearing the cheerleading uniform, he would never be able to look at her again whilst she was wearing it.
She was right, he should've never agreed with Dean, he should've agreed with Hermione and convinced Dean to allow another Hunter to take the case. If he had, he wouldn't be scarred for life.
He put all thoughts about Hermione and Dean's sex life to the back of his mind and took a seat at the table, going back to his laptop and feeling Hermione's and Dean's eyes on him.
"What is it?" He asked, his eyes glued to the screen in front of him.
"Nothing," they both replied innocently.
He lifted his eyes, seeing them eyeing each other before he shook his head.
"Has Dean filled you in?" He questioned.
"I filled her with something," Dean muttered, but it wasn't quiet enough and both he and Hermione heard.
He grimaced and felt his stomach twist and turn and he saw Hermione's glare before a pillow was sent flying across the room and it smacked Dean in the face. Hermione had remarkably good aim.
"No, he hasn't. What have you discovered?" She asked him, sending a warning look to Dean, as he eyed Hermione's wand on the night stand, seeing that it was very close and within reach should she wish to hex him. Sam knew Dean would behave now.
"So we have three deaths, different appearances, different ages, different classes, but they all attended the same school and they were all cheerleaders, as you know," Sam spoke and Hermione nodded. "Karen Myers was sixteen and died nine months ago. Zoe Winters was eighteen and died four months ago, and Jess Hughes was seventeen and died three months ago. Causes of deaths were different but they all occurred on or near school grounds and there were no witnesses. Myers drowned in the school's pool; she hit her head and fell in. Winters committed suicide by hanging herself in the janitor's store cupboard, and Hughes died in a car collision just outside the school."
Hermione bit her lip in thought. "Despite how recent these deaths are, I didn't hear of anyone speaking about them. And it was never explained why the cheerleading team needed members, and no one's mentioned it to me either. I haven't gotten any new information for you, but what I do know is that there's going to be a football game in three days time. They said something about bad weather preventing opposing schools from travelling, so the season carried over," she shrugged. "The school will be open to visitors so you can have a look around without having to break in, and if you're caught you have an excuse for being there."
"That'll work," Sam agreed, looking to Dean.
He shrugged. "I don't mind waiting a few days."
"I didn't think you would," Sam snorted. "In the mean time, whilst you work on getting information from the cheerleaders, I'll see if I can find why these girls were targeted."
"How do we know this is even supernatural?" Hermione asked. "It sounds more like a bad coincidence."
"It does," Sam agreed. "But until we're sure we need to treat this case as though it is supernatural and more often than not, they are."
~000~000~000~
Two days later...
"Hermione, you're coming tonight, right?"
"I'm sorry," she frowned.
She was removing her belongings from her locker as she prepared to leave the school grounds after another practice, and to be honest, she was aching all over. Even with the spells she'd placed on her shoes which allowed her to dance and tumble like an experienced gymnast, it still took a lot of energy out of her, and she was looking forward to going back to the motel and being able to collapse on her bed.
She turned to look at Chloe, seeing her also collecting her belongings from her own locker.
"It's tradition, every night before a game all the girls have a sleep over. We talk, we do each other's makeup and hair, we watch movies and eat ice-cream and we have another practice."
Hermione was about to decline, but it seemed Chloe wasn't allowing it.
"You have to come, you're one of us now," Chloe said. "Please come, it won't be the same without you."
"I highly doubt that," Hermione muttered. "Chloe, I'm not comfortable in staying in a room with so many people. For so long it's just been Dean and I, I find it difficult to sleep without him by my side. I have nightmares; I was in the car with my parents, they died and I survived."
Unexpectedly, Chloe walked over to her and hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't know," she said, pulling back from her. "And if it makes you feel better, it's my turn to host the sleepover. If you can't sleep by yourself, you can share my bed."
"That's kind of you, Chloe, but if we have a game tomorrow, I don't want to disrupt the girls' sleep, I have a feeling we're all going to need it."
"They'll get over it. They'll never take you seriously if you don't come tonight." Hermione sighed. "I'm glad you've come to your senses, I'll see you at seven."
Chloe practically skipped out of the room, leaving behind a gaping and blinking Hermione. How had she just allowed that to happen? She shook her head and left to the car park where Dean was waiting for her, and she'd been sure to change out of her uniform so Dean wouldn't be distracted during their ride back to the motel.
"Why do you have that look on your face?" He asked her as she approached the car.
"A seventeen year old girl has just confused me into agreeing to attend a sleep over tonight with the rest of the cheerleading team."
He blinked in surprise, before frowning. "You're going?"
She sighed. "I don't particularly want to, but I'm hoping if I go, the girls will trust me enough to tell me about the girls that died. They've been surprisingly tight lipped about it so far."
"You won't be able to sleep," he said.
"I know," she sighed. "I haven't taken a Dreamless Sleep since meeting you so I should be fine to take one now. I'll find a vial out for you, too, so even though we won't be sleeping beside each other, we'll both be rested."
"I don't like this."
"Neither do I," she said. "But if it gives me an opportunity to learn more information then I have to take it."
~000~000~000~
She'd underestimated the amount of Dreamless Sleep Potions she had with her, meaning she hadn't checked her stores when she should've, and as a result, so only had one vial left, not that she told Dean. And not wanting him to have to suffer through having nightmares because of her decision to spend the night away from him, she left the only vial she had for him.
Hermione admitted that the sleep over hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be, but never really having many female friends growing up, or having a normal childhood meant she hadn't really experienced the muggle right of passage of attending a sleep over. They'd chatted, and Hermione had reluctantly given up details about her relationship with Dean to the other girls since they'd been far too interested in her love life, though she contained her annoyance as to not give it away. Of course, she'd lied regarding most of the answers she gave them since she couldn't tell them the truth, but they seemed to except the lies she fed them. And after having another practice in Chloe's back yard, they all sat in Chloe's bedroom, eating ice-cream and watching what Dean would call 'chick flicks,' and half way through the second film, all of the girls were asleep.
The girls were all sleeping on the floor, surrounded by blankets and cushions, where she was in bed with Chloe, who was also asleep. But Hermione stared at the ceiling, willing herself not to fall asleep though she was losing the battle, and before she knew it, her eyes had closed and the dreams that had left her alone for months returned full force.
~000~000~000~
Hermione bolted awake and she heard a shriek of surprise from her left, and she turned her head to see Chloe staring at her horrified. Hermione took a deep breath, reigning in her emotions and she was thankful that she'd kept her wand in her bag and far away from her, lest she accidentally hurt someone.
"Sorry, Chloe," she sighed, rubbing her eyes and pushing her hair back from her face.
"It's alright," she said quietly in response, obviously still a little bit freaked out and not wanting to wake the other girls. "I know you said you had nightmares, but I never expected that."
Hermione sighed once more, before laying back down and she felt the mattress shift beside her as Chloe did the same. They were both now wide awake and they stared at the ceiling in silence. Hermione could tell Chloe had questions, but she wasn't going to ask them, not wanting to upset her.
Hermione admitted to herself, the girls on the cheerleading team weren't how she'd thought they'd be, but it was her own fault for believing the stereotypical behaviour she saw in movies and TV programmes about them all being mean, stuck up bitches. And whilst some of the girls on the team did seem a little up themselves, most of them were normal, kind girls. Particularly Chloe, who Hermione knew was her favourite of the girls. Chloe had taken her under her wing over the last couple of days and showed Hermione the ropes, she'd helped her learn the routines in a matter of hours and she'd helped her with the jargon of cheerleading, since she didn't have a clue.
Chloe was a social butterfly as Hermione had witnessed, and if she was going to get information from anyone, Chloe would be the only one worth talking to.
"Chloe?" She said quietly.
"What is it?" She replied, turning her head to look at Hermione.
"Why has the team got so many positions that need to be filled?" Hermione asked, turning her head to look at Chloe. "I saw on the school's website that there were auditions but it never stated why."
A sad look crossed her face. "I forgot you wouldn't know," Chloe said.
"Wouldn't know what?" Hermione dared to ask, hoping she was about to get new information that would help them with the case.
"Three of our members died. Karen, nine months ago, Zoe, four months ago and Jess, three months ago."
Hermione made sure to have a sad, yet shocked look on her face. "How did they die?" She asked softly, seeing that Chloe's eyes were beginning to tear up, and she turned on her side to face her.
"Karen drowned in the school's pool, Zoe killed herself and Jess died in a car accident. Their deaths were tragic, but there was no investigation, everything was open and shut within a matter of days."
"But?" Hermione prompted.
"But I don't believe what the police said," she confessed, turning on her side to face Hermione. "The police didn't know them like I did. I know Jess' death was an accident, but Karen was a great swimmer. She used to be on the swimming team before she quit and joined the cheerleading team. They said she hit her head and drowned, but she was so careful. She'd grown up swimming in rivers and lakes, she took her safety very seriously, and I don't believe she would've put her life in danger by doing something stupid. I don't even know why she was at the pool that night; she was supposed to be visiting her sister at college."
Hermione reached out and Chloe gripped Hermione's hand in her, grateful for the support and comfort. "You think there was someone else involved?"
"I have no proof, just a feeling. Karen was a bit of a bitch, but not enough for someone to want her dead. And Zoe, she was my friend. I'd known her since I was five. She was the one that convinced me to try out for the team and she worked with me for weeks, helping me to perfect my audition piece and learn the routines before I even made it onto the team. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even be on the team. Zoe was happy, she was planning to leave Price and go to NYU, she'd applied and she was just waiting to see whether she was accepted or not. She loved her friends, she loved her family and she loved cheerleading. She would never take her own life. She was a devote Christian, suicide is a sin for her, she'd never even contemplate it. I don't believe she'd do that, I can't believe she'd do that. She had no reason to."
Hermione frowned.
"She wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps. She was a cheerleader here, and so was her Grandmother, and her great-Grandmother. Her mother was the captain at NYU, and Zoe planned to do the same. She had her life planned out. She wouldn't kill herself."
~000~000~000~
"How'd you sleep?" Dean asked, his eyes watching the teenage girls as they stared out of the window of the house, watching him and Hermione.
"Like a baby, you?" She lied as she approached him.
He smiled. "As if I had you beside me," he said and she smiled as she reached him and he pulled her into him, hugging her tightly before giving her a chaste kiss.
"So, how bad was it?"
She snorted. "Surprisingly not as bad as I'd thought it would be, but I think it was the right decision."
"You learn something?" He asked.
"I have and I think we need to head to the library. I have a hunch and if I'm right, it might just crack this case wide open."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Alright then, we'll head there now and I'll have Sammy meet us there, it's not far from the motel so he can walk it. You can tell us what you learned when we get there."
"Let's go," she agreed, pulling back from him.
Dean looked to the window, before winking at the girls watching them. Hermione turned her head, seeing the girls practically melting into a puddle and she smacked Dean in the stomach and he smirked, clearly amused with himself. She rolled her eyes, before giving a little wave to the girls and they climbed in the Impala and drove off.
~000~000~000~
"So, what did you learn?" Sam asked her, as he and Dean followed Hermione through the stacks in the library as she looked for a specific book.
"One of the girls, Chloe, she told me that she doesn't believe that Myers' death was an accident or that Winters committed suicide."
"Why?" Dean asked her, wondering what she was looking for.
"She said Myers had grown up around water, she was an excellent swimmer and was on the swimming team before switching to cheerleading. She was very careful and she wouldn't have put herself in danger by doing something that would cause her to trip, hurt her head and fall and drown. She said she was a bitch, but not enough for anyone to want her dead, but she doesn't agree with the police's ruling of the case."
"Alright, and Winters?"
"Chloe had known Winters from the age of five and they were friends. She was adamant that Winters was perfectly happy with her life, she loved her friends and family, she loved cheerleading and she was planning her future, she'd even applied to colleges."
"That's unusual, especially if she'd wished to take her own life," Sam agreed.
"I know, but Chloe also said that Winters was a devout Christian, suicide is a sin and she'd never put her family through that."
"Hughes died in a car collision, but I was able to get my hands on the report. The brakes failed."
"And?" Hermione questioned.
"The car was only purchased a month before the accident. The brakes should've been in perfect working order, yet they failed and there was no obvious tampering or sabotage. The death was ruled as an accident."
"So we have two apparent accidents and one apparent suicide, that all took place on or near school grounds," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"If we are dealing with a spirit, what's the motive behind the deaths?" Dean asked.
"That's why we're here."
"Are you going to tell us what this hunch of yours is?"
"In a minute," she replied. "Ah, found them," she said, pulling several books from the shelves and moving over to a table, where there sat several computers nearby for Dean and Sam to use.
She sat at the table and gestured for the brothers to get themselves comfortable at the computers. They looked at her curiously but did so, and they turned to face her whilst she flicked through the year books she'd pulled.
"What are you looking for?" Sam finally asked fifteen minutes later, seeing Hermione flicking through several books at once as they laid spread out and open in front of her.
"Chloe mentioned that Winters' mother was a cheerleader at the school, as was her Grandmother and great-Grandmother, and she was right. I've found them in the year books. I've also discovered that Hughes' Aunt was a cheerleader, too, as was her Grandmother and great-Grandmother. And Myers' Grandmother, great-Grandmother and Aunt was, too. So, our three victims all have that in common, and from these year books, they all attended school within three years of each other."
"And?"
"I want you to see if you can find any other deaths over the last few decades."
"We tried, there was nothing."
"You searched the names, Myers, Winters and Hughes, you never thought to do the maiden names of the parents since we didn't know about the familial cheerleading connection," she pointed out. "Call it a hunch, but I'm betting you'll find something."
"It's worth a try," Dean shrugged, taking a year book from her so he could search for the names listed, and Sam did the same with another.
~000~000~000~
"You're right," Sam said in surprise. "There were four deaths sixteen years ago within a period of three years. Three of them were cheerleaders, and all of them related to each of the victims in some way, two were cousins, one a brother and another a sister."
"And I've found four deaths, too, all taking place thirty-six years ago within a time period of four years. All of them related to the victims, but only two of them were cheerleaders," Dean said, turning to look at Hermione in surprise.
She bit her lip. "So they were targeted, and although it was made to look accidental or suicidal, we know different. We know the victims are connected through familial matches, but why are they being targeted."
"I came across an article that was linked with some of the names that had been searched," Sam spoke. "A fifteen year old girl, Brenda Combe, committed suicide after being severely bullied by some of the girls from the cheerleading team. She hung herself during school hours and did so in the cafeteria for all to see. She left a note, blaming her bullies for her suffering and death."
"And let me guess, the names are related to all of the victims?" Hermione said.
"Yes, they were. This was fifty-seven years ago, which means the victims Dean found were the first generation of children or relatives from the bullies, the victims I found were the second generation, and the current victims are the third generation. This sounds like a vengeful spirit."
"Awesome," Dean sighed.
"Wait a minute," Hermione frowned. "You said you both found four victims each?" They both nodded in confusion. "There's only been three deaths," she said.
They both blinked before their eyes widened. "Which means there's going to be another attack," Sam muttered. "If we can find the next victim, we can prevent anything from happening whilst we deal with the spirit. Who is it? The last name on the suicide note was Penelope Harrison."
"Harrison, Harrison, Harrison," Hermione muttered as she took back the year books and flicked through them quickly, making her way through previous years in order to lead her to the current roster of students.
"No," she whispered, seeing the picture that sat in front of her.
"What?" Dean asked, moving away from the computer and over to her.
"It's Chloe. She's the next victim."