CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE
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
One month later...
"Not pregnant."
Dean felt as though he'd been stabbed in the heart with a serrated knife. He looked at his beautiful wife, sat on the toilet seat in the bathroom of their motel room. Her wand lay fallen on the floor after she had dropped it at seeing the dull glow of the results of the Pregnancy Charm. Her hands were covering her face and her shoulders were shaking as she silently cried.
Dean pushed his own sadness and disappointment aside and moved over to his wife. He knelt down in front of her and pulled her hands away from her face. She looked at him and his own sadness and disappointment crashed into him at seeing the tears rolling down her face.
He pushed back his own tears, the back of his throat burning with the effort to do so, and he stood up, pulling Hermione up and out of the bathroom. He led her over to the bed and climbed on with her. She laid down on her side facing away from Dean and he laid down behind her, wrapping himself around her and she clung to his hand, pulling it to rest beneath her cheek and she silently cried.
She didn't see the tear fall from the corner of his eye.
~000~000~000~
Two days later...
A 'bang' echoed as Hermione threw a spell behind her and the large doors slammed shut in the dining room of the hotel they were investigating.
"That's not going to stop him," Sam panted, rifling through the collection of knives he placed onto the table, looking for one in particular.
"I know that, it's a reflex reaction," she glared at him, leaning against the wall and trying to get her breath back.
"Fair enough," he shrugged.
Hermione shrieked when the doors burst open and the ghost floated into the room, the doors closing behind it and a table being lifted from the ground and thrown in her direction. She dropped to the ground and cast a Protego over herself as the wooden pieces rained over her.
"I'm okay," Hermione called before Sam could ask.
She looked up in time to see a chair being thrown at Sam who was still rifling through the collection of knives. She threw a Protego over him, just in time for the chair to slam into it and fall to the floor before it could hurt him.
"Thanks," he said, not even bothering to look at her or take his attention away from his task. He hadn't even blinked, knowing Hermione would protect him. As much as they bickered and teased each other, he relied on her as much as he did his brother, and despite her magic, she relied on them, too.
"You found it yet?"
"No," he replied.
Hermione made a noise of frustration before getting up from the ground and running over to him, casting a Protego Totalum over the both of them as the ghost continued to throw objects and furniture at them.
"Got it," he said, before picking up a knife and throwing it to the floor.
Hermione dropped the shield and threw an Incendio at it and as the magical flames devoured the knife, the table that had been flying towards them fell to the ground, with the ghost bursting into flames.
Hermione and Sam both breathed a sigh of relief before leaning against a table and taking a moment of silence.
"Where's Dean?" Hermione asked with a frown.
"I haven't seen him since he ducked into the bathroom," Sam said, also frowning. "He was supposed to be keeping the ghost busy and away from us."
The doors to the dining room opened and Dean waltzed in, a plate with a large slice of cake in one hand and a fork in the other.
"Where the hell have you been?" Sam asked.
"And more importantly, where the hell did you get cake?" Hermione said with narrowed eyes.
Dean shrugged. "Once I lost the crazy bastard in the bathroom, I ran into one of the function rooms, turns out there's a bar mitzvah going on."
"You're telling me, instead of helping us with the vengeful spirit that was trying to kill us, you were eating cake and partying?" Sam said disbelievingly.
"Screw that," Hermione glared at Dean. "Where's my cake? Is that chocolate?"
Dean laughed nervously, before putting another forkful of cake into his mouth, then handing Hermione the plate. She snatched the plate and fork from him, jumped up onto the table and proceeded to eat it sulkily.
Sam blinked.
"She's on her period," Dean muttered quietly.
Sam shivered at the knowledge, but that didn't mean he didn't notice the sadness to his brother's voice.
~000~000~000~
Three weeks later...
Sam frowned, hearing cries coming from the bathroom of the motel room. Dean was off getting dinner and he'd gone for a walk, needing to stretch his legs after the long drive. Knowing Hermione was the only other person in the room, he walked over to the bathroom and pushed the door open.
Much to his confusion, Hermione was sat on the floor with her back against the wall. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around her legs, as she buried her head in her knees. Her wand lay on the ground with a dull glow showing from the tip.
"Hermione?" Sam questioned quietly.
Hermione jumped at hearing his voice and she looked up at him. She wiped away her tears, sniffled and smiled at him, attempting to hide the fact she'd been crying.
"Sam? I thought you'd gone for a walk, how was it? You didn't run into any trouble did you? I know what you Winchesters are like for being danger magnets," she teased.
She gripped her wand and stood up; brushing her clothing down and with a whispered word, the glow from the wand went out.
Sam frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.
"Nothing, I'm perfectly fine," she smiled, but he saw right through it.
"You're lying."
"Of course I'm not lying, what possible reason would I have for lying to you?" She said.
"Why don't you tell me," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and blocking the way out of the bathroom.
"I wouldn't know," she responded, before pushing her way past him and out of the bathroom.
He caught her arm before she could make for the door and make a run for it.
"Hermione, you can talk to me, you know that." He said softly. "What's wrong? What was that glow on your wand?"
"Nothing, I'm fine," she lied, trying to pull away from him.
"Don't lie to me," he said, his voice deepening and his eyes narrowing. She looked down at the ground, feeling the tears welling up. "Talk to me," he said, his voice softening.
She looked up at him and her resolve broke. Tears flooded her eyes, her entire body shook, a heart aching sob tore from her and she collapsed on the ground in a pile of limbs.
Sam stared in horror before he sat himself down on the floor, pulled Hermione into him and wrapped her up in his arms, not caring when Hermione gripped his shirt tightly in her hands, or when he felt her tears soaking the fabric.
"I'm...not...preg...nant," she sobbed heartbrokenly.
Sam felt sadness fill him. Suddenly it made sense; that glow on her wand had been the results of a negative pregnancy test. Another negative pregnancy test. When he thought about it, they'd met Hermione twenty months ago, and it had been less than eighteen months when he found out Dean and Hermione were trying for a baby. Hell, had it really been that long? Almost two years since meeting Hermione? He couldn't believe how fast their time as a family had gone by.
He knew Hermione wanted a baby, and he knew Dean wanted a baby, too, but he'd never born witness to Hermione's heartbreak at discovering that she wasn't pregnant. He'd never seen her so broken. He was used to seeing her happy and stuffing her face with food. He was used to her laughing and teasing, to her smiling and singing. What he was witnessing now, it wasn't Hermione; it wasn't his sister-in-law; the strong, kick-ass witch. This was a heartbroken woman. A woman that wanted nothing more than to have a baby.
It made him wonder, he'd now seen Hermione's true feelings on the matter, what were Dean's? He'd only ever mentioned Hermione's sadness and disappointment, and although he'd said he couldn't wait for Hermione to get pregnant, Sam had never seen Dean's reaction to the news of Hermione not being pregnant.
He looked down at the inconsolable witch in his arms when he felt her tug harder on his shirt. There was nothing he could do for her. There was nothing he could say to her. There was nothing that could be done to make her feel better. So he didn't. He just held her and listened to her cries. She needed to get it out of her system, all of the sadness and disappointment that she'd been keeping bottled up and it wasn't good for her.
Leaning back against one of the beds, Sam shuffled to get more comfortable, knowing he was going to be there for a while. He rocked them slightly, pressed his cheek against the top of Hermione's head and he comforted Hermione the only way a brother could.
~000~000~000~
Hermione had long since cried herself into exhaustion and she'd fallen asleep, but not wanting to wake her he hadn't moved them from the ground.
Sam looked up when the door opened and Dean stepped inside, his eyes immediately landing on Hermione asleep in Sam's arms, and it was clear to him that she'd been crying.
"What happened?" Dean demanded, dropping the bag of food onto the ground and moving over to him, dropping to his knees and pushing Hermione's hair away from her face whilst she slept.
"She's not pregnant," Sam said.
Sam carefully watched the way Dean's eyes filled with disappointment and sadness, the way he took a deep breath and shut his eyes tightly, before he seemed to pull himself together. Without a word, Dean took Hermione from Sam, lifting her into his arms and moving her over to their bed.
Dean placed Hermione in the centre of the bed before climbing on after her. He wrapped himself around her and she made a noise in her sleep, turning to face him and she sighed when he placed a kiss to her forehead.
Sam stood up and retrieved the bag containing their dinner and he observed Dean as he sat himself down at the table.
"We'll have a baby, I promise," Dean muttered in the silence of the room, to his sleeping wife. She made a noise in her sleep, as if communicating with him. "I promise, I'll give you a baby if it's the last thing I do," he mumbled. Dean placed a kiss to Hermione's forehead, before burying his face in her curls.
Sam didn't imagine the tears falling down Dean's face.
~000~000~000~
Two months later...
"I'm..."
"Hungry? What a surprise," Sam rolled his eyes, before wincing when Hermione sat up to slap him over the back of the head.
He turned his eyes away from the road to look behind him, glaring at Hermione whilst she shrugged her shoulders and laid back down against Dean. They were cuddled up on the back seat and had been for an hour, whilst they made their way towards their next case in Kansas City, a case suspected to be a magical creature. There hadn't been any deaths in over a week so they didn't bother rushing to their destination, knowing the one responsible had likely already left, meaning it would be a tracking job for Hermione if that were the case.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Sam asked.
Dean lifted his head slightly and caught his brother's gaze, sending him a raised eyebrow.
"We're passing through Nebraska," Sam explained.
A look of understanding lit Dean's face, whilst Hermione frowned in confusion from her place snuggled beside him.
"Good idea, Sammy, it's been a while."
"Over two years," Sam nodded. "It's about time we visited; we need to introduce the newest Winchester after all."
"Does someone want to explain what you're talking about?" Hermione asked with a frustrated look on her face.
Dean chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Ellen and Jo, we've told you about them, haven't we?" Dean asked.
"Briefly," Hermione confirmed. "They're Hunters, right? Mother and daughter, they own a bar?"
"Right in one, as always," Dean smiled. "We've known them years, when we can't take a case, Bobby passes them onto Ellen and Jo, who passes them onto other Hunters. The bar they own is kind of a Hunter's central. Hunters go for information, cases and for a drink," he shrugged. "We haven't seen them since before meeting you, so unless Bobby's told them about you, which I doubt he has, they won't even know about us. It'll be a surprise, a good one. They're used to us springing bad shit on them."
Sam snorted. "I'd be surprised if they didn't shoot us on sight."
"They love us," Dean said arrogantly.
"Debatable," Sam replied.
"Shut up," Dean glared.
"Boys," Hermione scolded. "Well, I think I want to clean up a little before I meet them."
"We'll book into a motel for the night," Sam said.
"I'll meet you boys at this bar if you don't want to wait for me. I'll just track your location and apparate over."
"Alright," they both shrugged.
~000~000~000~
"What does a guy have to do to get service around here?" Dean asked, waltzing into the new Roadhouse, which had been rebuilt after it had been burnt down a few years ago.
"Dean Winchester, as I live and breathe."
Dean turned his head, seeing the older woman heading out from behind the bar and making her way over to him.
"Ellen, you haven't aged a day," Dean grinned.
Ellen snorted. "No, I've aged years; you'll be better suited at placing that charm elsewhere." She reached him and pulled him into a hug before pulling back. "Don't tell me you've come here to say the world's ending again."
"Not this time, we're just passing through and thought we'd visit, it's been a while and I know how much pain it causes for you to be denied the right of seeing my handsome face."
Ellen shook her head and chuckled. "You haven't changed a bit."
"No, I've changed a lot," he said, a secret smile on his face.
"Where's your brother?"
"Right here," Sam answered, walking into the room with a smile on his face.
"Sam, nice to see you're still alive," Ellen said, moving to hug him.
"I can't kick the bucket yet."
"And you can't be leaving your brother all alone."
"Yeah, about that..." Dean was cut off by the appearance of one Jo Harvelle, and she hadn't changed a bit since he last saw her.
"So the rumours are true, The Winchesters are in town."
"Jo, how you doing?" Sam asked, as she stood behind the bar, leaning against it.
"Good, you?"
"Still alive," he replied.
"So I see," she snorted.
She turned her eyes to Dean, and he was aware of how her eyes swept over him. He hoped she didn't do that when Hermione arrived. Normally he wouldn't have noticed, but being in close quarters with his wife for the better part of two years, he was a lot more aware of women's mannerisms, mannerisms he would've passed off as innocent before. It was true that when Dean had first met Jo, he'd tried to get into her pants, but since she turned him down, he hadn't bothered, and he didn't plan on trying ever again. He had his wife and she was all he needed and wanted.
"Dean, how you doing?" She asked him, a flirtatious smile appearing on her face.
Dean frowned slightly; she'd never looked at him like that before, had she? He heard Sam snigger from beside him and he elbowed him in the stomach.
"I'm better than I've ever been," he said honestly. "I'm happy, peaceful," he admitted.
"Is that so? And what's brought this on?" She asked.
Ellen looked intrigued by his words, as she rounded the bar and began to pull out two beers for the brothers. Her eyes swept them, noting the way that both Dean and Sam looked to be in perfect health, physically and even mentally, which couldn't be said for the last time she'd saw them.
"How much time do you have?" Dean responded.
"For you, all the time in the world," she smiled.
Dean blinked, as did Sam, having thought Jo had previously been messing with Dean, but both brothers quickly realised that she wasn't. Her flirtation was serious. Dean cleared his throat and took the beers from the counter, passing one to Sam and downing half of his. Sam snorted.
"We're going to need another one, Ellen," Dean said.
"Why?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow, but pulling another out and handing it to him.
"Let's catch up," he said, avoiding the question and heading over to one of the tables, Ellen, Jo –who both had two beers each in their hands- and Sam followed after him, and thankfully, Sam sat next to him so Jo couldn't. He got the feeling she would get too close for comfort if she were given the opportunity.
"So, what's happened since we last saw you?" Ellen asked. Both brothers looked at each other and smiled, setting off the curiosity inside of her.
"Business as usual," Sam said. "Hunting, travelling, more hunting," he shrugged.
"It's been far more eventful than that," Dean said amused.
"Oh?" Jo questioned, leaning forward and resting her arms on the table. "Why?"
Before Dean could respond, the sound of footsteps drew his attention and he turned his head, his eyes immediately locking on his wife, and much to his glee, she was wearing her leather jacket. He loved her in her jacket.
"That's why," Sam chuckled, rolling his eyes as Dean stood up and a smile spread across his face.
He left the table and met Hermione half way, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug, his nose burying in her hair.
"You've showered? That was quick," he commented, happily breathing in the fresh scent of caramel and apples.
"Magic," she shrugged.
He kissed her cheek and pulled back from her, slinging his arm around her shoulders and making their way over to the table.
"Ellen and Jo," he muttered into her ear, seeing the way her eyes swept over the two women, before landing fully on the young, pretty blonde.
"I haven't slept with her, promise," he said quietly. "We'll introduce you, we're keeping your witchy magic a secret, we don't know how they'll react but I can't imagine it being any better than how I did when we first met."
She nodded, before putting a friendly smile on her face as they stopped at the table. Both women looked her over appraisingly, and the blonde frowned, her eyes darting between her and Dean.
"Ellen, Jo, this is..."
"Hermione Winchester, it's nice to meet you, the boys have spoken of you fondly," she said.
"Winchester!" They both spluttered in surprise.
"You have a sister?" Jo said shocked.
Sam burst out laughing while Dean and Hermione grimaced.
"God, I hope not!" Sam laughed.
"She's my wife," Dean said.
A beer bottle fell to the ground, smashing, the contents covering the ground and their shoes, whilst they looked to be on the verge of fainting.