CHAPTER NINETY
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: 10
"Wife?" They chocked on their breath, coughing and their eyes watering.
"Wife," Dean said with a smile, before sitting in his chair.
Hermione made to pull another chair over to the table but Dean stopped her by pulling her on to his lap. She rolled her eyes but hooked an arm around his neck, her fingers lightly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He wrapped an arm around her waist and the other he rested on her thigh, his fingers tapping out a rhythm.
"I don't understand," Jo said, her eyes darting between Hermione and Dean, seeing the way they were completely comfortable with each other and they were relaxed in the other's presence.
"What's there to understand? She's my wife, I'm her husband, we're married," Dean shrugged.
"But you're Dean Winchester," Jo protested.
Dean looked at Hermione with a shocked look on his face. "Here that, Sweetheart, my name's Dean Winchester, I'm so glad I was reminded of that, I'd forgotten."
Hermione huffed and smacked at his chest with her free hand. "Stop being a bloody prat, from what I've learned about your past, I don't blame her for her reaction."
Dean gave her a look of innocence and she turned her eyes back to the two women who were staring at them both, speechless.
"Ignore him, he's an arsehole," Hermione said, jumping when Dean pinched her side, but she narrowed her eyes at him and tugged on his ear lobe.
"Children," Sam spoke in a manner that reminded them both of Molly Weasley and they instantly stopped, much to his amusement.
"I can understand your surprise at discovering that Dean's married," Hermione said kindly.
Ellen seemed to sober, she took a large swig of her drink before fixing her stare on Hermione, apparently looking for something that would help her decide if she liked her or not.
"How long you kids been together?" Ellen asked, while Jo picked up a second beer bottle and took a large swig of it.
Hermione and Dean smiled at each other. "A while," Dean shrugged.
"We've been married coming up two years in March," Hermione answered.
"Two years!" Jo spluttered, spitting out her beer. Hermione grimaced and fought the urge to whip out her wand and clean up the mess.
"Yes, two years."
"Where'd you marry? How'd you meet?" Ellen asked.
"As you can likely tell, I was born and raised in England. I was all but adopted by my best friend's family when I was young and when my parents died they took me in and raised me. Dean and I married on their property in Devon, England, Castiel married us."
"The Angel? You know him?"
Sam laughed. "I should hope so, he's her Guardian Angel."
"What?" Both women stuttered.
"I understand this is a lot for you to take in. Castiel's my Guardian Angel and has been since I was a young child. He's been with me sixteen years, helping to keep me safe and protecting me."
"When he feels like it, he does," Dean grumbled. She swatted at his arm.
"Anyway, I met Dean and Sam when working on a case, they offered their help and I couldn't refuse. We didn't exactly see eye to eye when we first met."
"But I soon wised up and I saw the amazing woman she is," Dean said, nuzzling her neck and breathing in her scent.
"So you're a Hunter?" Ellen asked.
"You could say that," Hermione chuckled and the brothers shared a smirk, which confused the mother and daughter duo.
"Does Bobby know?" Jo asked, eyeing Hermione in a way Dean didn't like. Was she jealous?
"I should hope so, he was at the wedding," Dean said. "Bobby and Hermione had met long before we did. When we met, he was the one that assured us we could trust her. He wouldn't admit it, but she's like a daughter to him."
"Really?" Hermione asked, feeling tears welling up in her eyes at the revelation and thinking of the grumpy Hunter.
"Hmm, he cried at the wedding."
"He did not," she scoffed.
"He did, he borrowed a tissue from Molly," Sam said amused. Hermione blinked in surprise.
"That doesn't sound like Bobby," Jo said with narrowed eyes.
Sam shrugged, before digging into his pocket and pulling out his phone and calling Bobby, placing it on loud speaker.
"What do you Idjits want?" Bobby's gruff voice spoke. "And can it hurry up, I'm planning on taking a nap?"
The three Winchesters snorted.
"Charming, Bobby," Hermione said.
"Missy? How you doing?" He asked, his voice softening in a way no one but Hermione had heard him use, especially since he discovered she and Dean were trying for a baby.
"I'm doing fine, Bobby, please tell me you're taking care of yourself. I'm not above sending Molly your way."
Bobby grumbled down the phone whilst the brothers laughed.
"She plays dirty," Sam chuckled. "Threatening him with your mother."
"That's my girl," Dean said proudly.
"There's no need to send her over, I'm quite capable of looking after myself," Bobby replied.
"Yes, but a good home cooked meal will do you some good, you can't keep living off that junk you call food," Hermione spoke.
"The phrase 'pot calling the kettle black' comes to mind," Bobby said.
"I'm not the one with high cholesterol."
"How the hell did you get my medical records?"
"You don't want to know," Hermione responded.
"She's right, you don't," Dean piped up.
"Idiot, Winchesters," he muttered. "Is there something you wanted, or did you call just to annoy me?"
"Both," Hermione said without missing a beat.
Bobby snorted. "I'm not surprised."
"Bobby, we're with Ellen and Jo," Dean said. "Ellen wants to know if you approve of Hermione, bearing in mind they've just discovered I'm married."
"Missy's one of the best, I trust her with my life," Bobby said. "Now if that's all, I'm going for my nap. Before I forget, Ricky's here."
Hermione sighed. "What have you given him?"
"I haven't given him anything, the little demon's stolen two cookies, a muffin, bacon and a twinkie."
Hermione made a noise of frustration. "Send him home."
"I've tried, he won't leave."
"Stop feeding him, then he will."
"I'm not feeding him, he keeps stealing it right from my hand," he protested, whilst the brothers chuckled and shook their heads, and Ellen and Jo blinked in surprise and confusion.
"Back up plan, send him to the kids, he loves seeing them."
"Alright, I'll try, take care of each other."
"We always do," the three Winchesters replied together before the line went dead, silence falling in the room.
"Bobby approves," Dean said, "And as you heard from that call, he loves Hermione."
The two women blinked.
"I can't believe you're married," Ellen sat back in her chair, still watching them carefully.
"I am, and it's been the best two years of my life," Dean said, turning his head to smile at Hermione. She ran her hand through his hair and smiled at him. His eyes fluttered closed as she lightly scratched at his scalp and he sighed, before placing a kiss to her cheek.
"They're always like this, actually, they're worse, so much worse," Sam grimaced and shivered. "The things I've witnessed and heard are horrifying."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't start, or things for you will be so much worse."
"That's not possible."
"It is," Hermione smirked and Sam froze at the look.
He cleared his throat. "So, the motel, how is it?" He asked.
"Not bad, we've stayed in some places worse, this one has a microwave; we've been upgraded." They both snorted at her.
"And have you..." Sam made the motion or waving a wand.
"I have, in your room and ours," she confirmed.
"Thank, God," he sighed.
"Right, I'm dying for a wee, is there a bathroom I can use?" Hermione asked.
Ellen gestured to a door off to the side and Hermione stood and disappeared from view, the women watching as Dean watched Hermione leave. He still looked happy, but less so when she wasn't in his presence.
"You seem different," Ellen commented.
"I am different," Dean shrugged and picked up his beer. "I feel different. Hermione, she's good for me, really good. She makes our way of life easier, more bearable. I'm happy, I'm peaceful. I'm stronger because of her. She's made me a better man and a better Hunter. Given how long I've been doing this, I thought there wasn't much left to learn about the supernatural, but I was wrong. She's got knowledge even Bobby doesn't have. She's beautiful, she's strong, she's sarcastic and witty, she's fearless and doesn't take bullshit from anyone..."
Sam snorted, cutting him off. "That I have to agree with."
"And she's a genius, she's border line Stephen Hawking's genius. I'm lucky we met. I may not have trusted her when we first met, but it didn't take me long to see her for what she is. An Angel, my Angel. And fuck, can she eat! She eats more than the both of us combined."
"You love her, don't you?" Ellen said; a look of acceptance on her face.
"I wouldn't have married her if I didn't," Dean responded, his eyes locked on the bathroom door, waiting for Hermione to exit.
She turned to look at Sam. "And how do you feel about Dean being married? The three of you travel together?"
Sam shrugged. "I'm happy for Dean and for Hermione, they deserve each other. And Hermione, she's like a sister to me, an annoying, pain in the ass, big sister. It's nice having someone else to talk to other than Dean. And I know I can rely on her, I trust her with my life. I've lost count of how many times she's saved our lives since meeting. She gives us new experiences, she's given us a family."
"Meaning?" Ellen asked.
Dean looked to Jo, seeing the way she had her arms crossed and she was glaring at the table, she hadn't spoken in ages.
"Hermione comes from a big family," Dean explained. "Her and her best friend were all but adopted and raised by her other best friend's family. Hermione has eight non-biological brothers and one non-biological sister. There used to be twin brothers but one of them died ten years ago. Each sibling is married, with the exception of one of her brothers who is in a committed relationship, and another who can't seem to settle down. Again, each sibling has kids, apart from that one brother that's in a committed relationship. They're our nieces and nephews, we visit them in London as often as we can."
"Yeah, Lily Petal has him wrapped around her little finger," Sam said amused.
"She does not," Dean denied.
"Oh she does, don't even deny it, you'd kill for that little girl. If she's got you like this when she's only three, I can't imagine what'll happen when she reaches her teenage years."
"Never going to happen, she's not growing up, I forbid it; she's staying Lily Petal for the rest of her life. And boys are not allowed within twenty feet of her, and she sure as hell isn't dating."
"If you say so, but she's got two older brothers, eleven cousins, one dad and eight uncles, I don't think any guy will be getting near her for fear of death."
"I'll shoot him if he does."
Sam snorted. "I doubt she'd like that."
"Dean threatening Lily's future boyfriends again?" Hermione's voice flittered to their ears as she approached them.
Dean scowled. "It's not a threat, it's a promise."
Hermione gave him an amused smile and her eyes sparkled. Dean stood up and made his way over to her, stopping her by the bar and pinning her against the counter. He looked down at her and her up at him.
"If you think I'm bad now, just wait until we have a daughter," he muttered.
Her smile faltered slightly and he reached up and pushed her hair behind her ears.
"We'll have a baby," he said quietly. "Just be patient. It'll happen when it's meant to." She sighed and nodded. He lowered his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Mrs. Winchester, did you wear this for me?" he asked, tugging on her leather jacket.
She shrugged. "I know how much you like when I wear it, so I promised myself that I'd wear it more often."
"I approve," he nodded.
"I thought you might, and you're just going to love what I've got on underneath."
He made a low growling sound before claiming her mouth with his. He picked her up and deposited her on the bar, stepping in-between her parted legs and she wrapped them around him, her hands winding in his hair and her nails scratching at his scalp.
Ellen and Jo stared in disbelief. Sam finished the last of his beer and picked up the bottle that had been meant for Hermione, before taking a swig, completely unaffected by Hermione and Dean's display.
"They're always like this, you get used to it," Sam shrugged, whilst Ellen and Jo continued to stare in shock. "Oi, get a room!" Sam called.
Hermione and Dean pulled back from each other and pressed their foreheads together as they regained their breath.
"Give me a baby," Hermione whispered quietly, pleadingly, her thumb lightly brushing his cheek.
Dean slipped a hand down to her stomach and placed it under her t-shirt, pressing it against her warm skin, just below her belly button where their baby would grow.
"Working on it, Sweetheart. Not much longer now, I promise."
She closed her eyes. "Don't make promises you can't keep."
"I'd never make you a promise I couldn't keep. I promise, we won't have to wait much longer."
"How do you know?"
"I can feel it, I don't know how, but I can feel it."
He wasn't going to tell her that he'd been having strange dreams over the last couple of weeks, dreams of Hermione with a swollen belly and glowing as their baby grew inside of her. She'd think him crazy.
"Okay, then let's go make a baby."
"I like the way you think," he muttered against her mouth.
"I've been doing some reading on ways to improve the chance of pregnancy during sex," she informed him and he raised an eyebrow. "And some of the methods actually look to be interesting."
"Is that so? Then lead the way, Mrs. Winchester."
He took her hand and she jumped off the bar.
"It was lovely meeting you," Hermione called over her shoulder, as Dean pulled her towards the exit.
"See you later," Dean said, throwing Sam the car keys, knowing Hermione would apparate them to the motel.
"Thank God, we're not sharing," Sam sighed, looking up at the ceiling thankfully. "I don't mind sharing a room with them, but when they're like this, I end up sleeping in the car to get away from them."
"Newlyweds," Ellen shrugged, picking up her beer.
"It's not, they've been married almost two years," he reminded her. "The only time they don't have sex is when she's on her period, and that's only because she put her foot down when Dean suggested it. I know, I was there for that argument," he grimaced and shivered. "You got any food?" Sam asked. "I'm not returning to the motel yet, my room's next to theirs and I'm driving so I can't drink anymore. I need something to keep me here as long as possible."
Ellen chuckled before shaking her head and standing up, disappearing into a room behind the bar.
"You're quiet," Sam said, eyeing Jo as she stared at her beer bottle.
She looked up at him and blinked. "He's married," she frowned.
"He is, and he's happy, don't be ruining it for him. I've never seen him like this before. He's always been a one night stand type of guy, he's always had a wandering eye and he's never been with the same woman more than once. When he met Hermione, everything changed for him. Now she's all he wants. He's never looked at another woman since, he's never thought about another woman since and he's very possessive of her; I've seen him break a guy's nose because he thought he was looking at Hermione for too long."
Jo blinked slowly at the information.
"You like him," Sam said knowingly. "I don't know where your feelings have come from since you didn't give a toss about him the last time we saw you, or maybe you did and we didn't notice. Since being around Hermione, we've become a lot more observant and aware of women and their mannerisms and intentions. If you did have feelings for him, why did you never act on them? Why did you reject him when he came onto you all those years ago?"
Jo remained silent.
"I mean it, Jo, don't interfere, they love each other and they'd kill to protect each other, it wouldn't be the first time. And as Dean is possessive of Hermione, she's just as possessive of him. You wouldn't believe the things she's capable of and she wouldn't hesitate to use her skills to get rid of you should you try to take Dean away from her, not that you'd succeed, no matter how pretty you are or how much you tried. They've got a life together, they live for each other and nothing is going to get in the way of that. And before you shoot me, this isn't a threat, it's a warning from a friend to a friend. I know them two better than anyone. I spend more time with them than I do away from them. I know what they're capable of and I know what they'd do should they feel their relationship is being threatened."
~000~000~000~
"Wow!" Dean muttered, his breathing heavy as he stared up at the ceiling.
"I know right," Hermione replied, turning her head to look at him.
"You should do research more often," he said.
She laughed at him before shifting the pillow that she had under her hips slightly, to make it more comfortable.
"Why'd you do that?" He asked her, turning on his side to face her.
She shrugged. "I read that titling your pelvis upwards increases the chances of pregnancy. Of course it's not scientifically proven to be true, but I've read a couple of articles were women have sworn they fell pregnant by doing so. Whether it's true or not, it doesn't hurt to try."
He lifted his hand and placed it against her stomach, wishing for the day she was pregnant to come quickly. It had been nearly two years since they decided to try for a baby and despite what the magical doctors said, despite what Castiel said and despite what the unicorn had told him, he couldn't help losing a small piece of hope every time Hermione's Pregnancy Charm turned up negative. It was getting harder and harder to stay optimistic, it was getter harder and harder to comfort Hermione and assure her they'd have a baby, particularly since he was no longer as confident as he once was.
"Have you done a test?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No, I haven't done one for two months, just as I promised I wouldn't."
Dean had made Hermione swear to him that she'd stop casting Pregnancy Charms. For two years she'd been doing one the day before her period was due and for two years they'd both been filled with sadness and disappointment when the results were negative. Dean couldn't take the knowing anymore, and neither could Hermione.
He'd much prefer for it to be a surprise. He'd much prefer for her to have symptoms of pregnancy before casting another charm. They'd still had to comfort each other when Hermione had gotten her period, but for some reason, it was more bearable.
"So, what'd you think of Ellen and Jo?" He changed the subject, keeping his hand splayed across her stomach but reaching over to pull the blanket over them, protecting them from the slight chill in the room.
"I'm not sure yet," she frowned. "Ellen, I get the feeling she's a lot like Molly. Strong, protective, stubborn, would die for her family." Dean nodded. "And I hope over time she comes to trust me, or at least know that I'd never do anything to hurt you and Sam."
"And Jo?" He asked, almost uncertainly she noticed, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
Her frown deepened and she bit her lip. "There's something off about her." He cocked his eyebrow questioningly. "I'm not quite sure what it is. The entire time I was there, I felt like she was plotting my death, and even when I wasn't looking at her I could feel her stare on me, as if she was trying to set me on fire with her gaze alone. She likes you, doesn't she?" She asked, jealousy making a presence in her tone.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I wasn't lying when I said to you I've never slept with her. When we first met I flirted a bit and I did try to get in pants," he admitted and she glared at him. He moved his fingers over her stomach, tracing soothing patterns in hopes it would calm her. It did. His touch always calmed her. "She turned me down and I haven't tried since. She's never shown an interest in me before, and I haven't seen her in two and a half years, at least. I noticed she was flirting a bit before you arrived, but I ignored it. She's not going to be a problem. I bet Sammy's warning her off now."
"I need to buy him a new laptop," she said. He snorted at her. "He's been complaining about the rubbish battery life for a while now, and it keeps overheating, too."
Dean shrugged. "He's had it for years; I don't even know how it's still working."
"That settles it then, I'm getting him a new laptop. One that's easily portable, light weight, has a big screen and has all the bells and whistles. You know anything about laptops?"
"I know how to turn one on," he replied and she laughed at him.
"That's more than I know," she shook her head. "I guess I'll just have to rely on the tech whizz in the shop. Next time we're passing by an Apple store, we'll stop so I can purchase one for him."
"You do that and you'd have a friend for life," he said amused.
"I already do, he loves me," she shrugged and he snorted. She sighed.
"I know that look; you're hungry, aren't you?"
She nodded. "Starved, we only stopped to pick up a few snacks and I haven't had a proper meal since lunch yesterday."
He shook his head. "Come on then, let's get cleaned up and we'll go get you some dinner."
"Actually, do you mind if we eat here?" She asked. "The article said to keep my pelvis tilted for half an hour before moving, and I want to take a shower."
"Again?"
"I'm all sweaty and sticky," she grimaced, pushing her hair out of her face.
A smirk crept up onto his face. "It was quite a work out, wasn't it?"
"I'm not saying anything as I know your ego will inflate to the size of a hot air balloon."
"The new scratches you've added to the collection on my back have already done that."
She rolled her eyes, before he leaned over and kissed her and then made his way into the bathroom, presumably to clean up. He exited ten minutes later, dressed and looking refreshed.
"Sammy's got the car, I'll have to walk it, thankfully, I saw a pizza place about ten minutes from here."
"And that's why I love you," she said. "You'd do anything to get me food."
"Safer that way," he snorted. "And I can't have you starving to death, who'd make me pie?"
"Charming," she scoffed. He grinned at her, before leaning over her to place a quick kiss to her lips.
"Pepperoni?" He questioned.
She bit her lip, apparently trying to make a decision. "No, I fancy meat, and lots of it." He raised an eyebrow. "Chicken, ham, sausage and bacon."
"Alright then," he said amused. "I should be no longer than an hour."
"I'll be here with a pillow stuffed under me to increase my chances of making a baby."
He chuckled at her, before giving her another kiss and leaving out the door, locking it behind him and taking the key with him.