Unfound

Chapter Seventeen

Season 12, Episode Sixteen – Ladies Drink Free: Mick, Sam, and Dean investigate a werewolf case in Wisconsin.

When Harry returned to the Bunker neither Sam nor Dean were awake yet. It was quite early, but he imagined that Sam would be up soon for his daily run. Briefly, he wondered if Dean was still giving Sam a tough time about that. Probably.

So, he waited. Brewed some coffee for when Sam woke up while he made himself a cup of tea. He was pretty exhausted from his conversation with Luna but didn't want to go to sleep until he patched things up with his brothers.

Sure enough, at six on the dot, Sam came stumbling into the kitchen. He was definitely not awake quite yet. He got in front of the coffee pot and picked it up before he realized that it had already been brewed.

"I made it," Harry said from behind him, as he could practically see Sam contemplating if it was still leftover from yesterday.

Sam did a little jump before recognizing that it was Harry standing there.

"You startled me, man," he said, suddenly awake.

"Sorry," Harry said.

Sam just shook his head and poured himself a cup of coffee. "You want some?" He offered.

Harry held up his mug. "Made tea," he said.

"Oh, good."

Sam sat at the table and looked forward, not quite sure what to say. He was angry with Harry for not telling them about Lucifer earlier, but also embarrassed because when he replayed the conversation in his head, he knew that he and Dean had overreacted.

"We weren't sure if you'd be back or not," he finally said.

Harry hummed. "Figured I've spent enough time running."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

Harry sighed. "Luna talked some sense into me," he admitted.

Sam took a sip of his coffee and nodded. "She's pretty good at that."

"She is." Harry hesitated for a second. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I should have told you and Dean about Lucifer. I actually came back to tell you right away – but that was right before Mom's big confession, and then there was Teddy, and then…I didn't mean to hold back."

Sam considered him for a second. "Yeah. I get that," he said. "You got any other big secrets that you just haven't had a chance to tell us yet?" The last part wasn't said as an accusation, but it still stung a bit.

Harry squirmed a little.

"There is," Sam said.

"A couple of things," Harry admitted. "But I'm going to come clean. Everything – but I want to wait until Dean wakes up for most of it. But there is one thing that I wanted to talk about with just you."

"What?"

Harry hesitated for a second. He really didn't want to have this conversation, but he couldn't let it fester between the two of them any longer. Not if he was going to fully accept staying here. "Ginny and I – we talked a bit went I went to England," he said. "Well, she did most of the talking. And most of it wasn't talking. It was yelling. Not that I didn't deserve it."

Sam felt his stomach sink. 'No,' he thought.

"She, uh, told me that you and she…that you…that when you were at Hogwarts that the two of you…"

"Oh God," Sam said, blushing a deep red. He put his coffee down. "Harry – I'm sor…"

"No, no, it's alright," Harry said. "Ok, maybe not alright," he quickly corrected. "But it is what it is."

"What exactly did she say?" Sam asked, not wanting to know the answer to that.

"Uh – not a lot. No details. Thank Merlin. Something about you being better looking, I think. I was kind of in shock, to be completely honest."

Sam had no idea what to say. "Look, we didn't plan it, it just sort of…happened. We were – we were both grieving and…"

"I really don't need any of that," Harry said, looking a little green. "I – I guess I just need to know if you're planning on…if you want to…I mean, it's totally up to you, of course, but, still, I need, well, not need but want…" he stopped talking because he realized that every word out of his mouth was just total and utter rubbish.

"No!" Sam said. "No, we're done. For a long time. She made it clear that she wanted nothing more to do with me."

"Yeah, she gave me that same message," Harry said. "But if she hadn't…"

"No, dude," Sam said, shaking his head. "It was always a bad idea. We both knew that."

Harry was relieved. It was bad enough that he had the knowledge that Sam had slept with Ginny, but he wasn't sure that he would have been able to keep his calm if he had to see the two of them together. Seeing her with anyone else would be difficult, but it would have been particularly difficult if it was with Sam.

Sam tried to read Harry's face but was having a hard time. "Are we cool?" He asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

"Good," Sam said. "You know, Dean should be awake soon."

"Yeah? He pissed?"

"When isn't he? Or at least, he thinks he is. He's taking his own shit out on you. And he knows it, I just can't seem to stop him from doing it. It's not your fault Castiel disappeared."

"Even if it's because Lucifer is free?"

"Even then. But – if you really want to smooth things over with him, you could stop by that donut place in Portland and get him a maple bacon bar. He'd not be able to stay angry with you if one of those was around."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, sure. And this would have nothing to do with your desire for the one covered in Lucky Charms, would it?"

"I don't eat crap like that," Sam said quickly, but there was a smile in his eyes.

"Uh-huh, sure. Be right back."

III

"Coffee's good today," Dean grunted at Sam. They were the first words that he had spoken to his brother since stumbling into the kitchen.

"Yeah? Harry made it."

Dean looked like he might want to stop drinking the coffee out of protest, before deciding that it was too good to stop.

"Where is he, then?"

"Running an errand," he said. "He should be back soon."

It was as if Harry had heard him – he arrived in the kitchen. "Sorry, Sam," he said, not looking up. "There was a line."

"A line for what?" Dean asked.

Harry looked up. "Oh. Hi, Dean," he said. "Wasn't sure if you'd be awake yet or not."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't sure if you'd be coming back or not, yet, here you are."

Harry winced. "Yeah. Uh – sorry about that. I, um, brought donuts," he said. He held out the pink box like the peace offering it was.

"Is that?"

Harry nodded.

"And did you get…"

"Yeah, of course."

Dean took the box eagerly and peered inside. He happily took out the donut meant for him and immediately tried to shove the entire thing into his mouth at once. "This doesn't mean I forgive you, you know," he said through the food.

"Dean, gross," Sam said. "Chew. Swallow. Then talk."

Dean just shrugged and finished the donut before grabbing another one and groaning indecently into it. When he finished it he looked at Harry and said, "Fine, you can stay," he said magnanimously.

That broke some of the tension.

"Look, I'm sorry…"

"Nah, man, we were out of line," Dean said, surprising both his brothers into silence. "You weren't tryin' to hold back on us. It's been a pretty chaotic couple of weeks around here."

That was about as close to an apology as Harry had heard from Dean in quite some time. He had prepared a whole speech while he waited in line for donuts and now was at a complete loss.

"But don't do it again," Dean said bluntly.

"I – I won't," Harry said. "And, uh there are a couple of other things that I want to tell you two."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

Dean sighed, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the counter. "Alright, lay it on us."

Harry took a deep breath. "So, you know that Gabriel made a deal with God, right? Well, he finally told me what it was…"

III

"If we kill the Nephilim, you'll die too?" Sam asked, horrified.

"Probably," Harry said.

"We'll find another way," Dean said vehemently, surprising Harry.

"There might not be another way," Harry said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But I didn't want…I didn't want the possibility of it hurting me to stop you from doing what you have to do."

"Harry!" Sam chided.

"If killing that baby means killing you, that's no longer an option," Dean said seriously. "You were just gonna let us – gonna let me kill you again?"

"Of course, he wasn't," Sam said. "He would have…" He looked at Harry's face. He frowned. "You would have, wouldn't you?"

"Well, I mean, if the whole world is at stake, then…"

"No," Sam said.

"Right. That's off the table."

"But…"

"No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Harry," Dean said. "You're our brother. We're not going to sacrifice you for the world." He meant every word of it.

"If it's the only option…"

"There's always another option," Sam said. "We might not know what that is yet, but we'll find it."

Harry looked like he was going to argue again. But the looks on both his brothers' faces stopped him. "Alright," he conceded.

"Great. Now that that's settled, what time is your dick of a best friend coming over?"

III

"Someone didn't want to get out of bed this morning," Charlie said cheerfully when she arrived at the Bunker, later that afternoon. "Which was a nice change, because normally it's her waking me up at the butt crack of stupid to chase some elusive creature that doesn't know that some of us like to sleep."

"Ah, well that one may be on me," Harry said. "I kept her out all night."

"Did you go bar hopping without me?" Dean asked, surprised.

"No, babe, you didn't go out drinking with Harry Potter without me, did you?" Charlie asked sounding very offended. "Dean told me about your epic bar crawls."

"Oh yeah, did he tell you about the time that he told me that he would let me drive the Impala if I outdrank an entire bar and then refused?"

"That wasn't the deal," Dean frowned. "And you know it."

Harry winked at him.

"Smartass," Dean said to him.

"Prat," Harry replied.

"Now that Sam is here, can we get to talking about the Men of Letters?" Ron asked, not liking the reminder of the summer where Dean had stolen his best mate and Harry had never truly come back.

They had decided the night before that they would wait for Sam to get back to fully discuss what was to be done about the British Men of Letters.

For the last couple of weeks, Harry had been getting regular updates from Teddy, and Sam and Dean had been taking some of the cases that the organization had given them. They wanted to keep their enemies close. No one was particularly happy with the arrangement. Least of all Dean, who wanted to get rid of the douchbags once and for all.

"Yeah, of course," Harry said, going serious. Everyone sat at the map table in the war room.

"Mick called, he wants us to come to the compound for the next case that they have for us," Sam said.

"Oh, come on, now we're expected to report for duty?" Dean snapped. " 'Cause they can take that and shove it up their asses."

"Mates," Harry said, not thinking this argument was particularly helpful.

He was grateful when Charlie took control then. "So, I think I've figured out where they are blocking me," she said. She went into a long, detailed, and esoteric explanation of the problem.

Everyone just stared at Charlie, except for Luna, who had been nodding along the whole time.

"In English, Charlie," Dean demanded.

"I need to get into their compound so that we can spy on them," she said, bluntly.

"Wouldn't that be, er, dangerous?" Harry asked. He hadn't known Charlie for very long, but while the woman was undoubtedly smart, he wasn't sure that he was comfortable placing her in that kind of danger.

"I can handle it," Charlie said.

"She can," Luna agreed. "She was great with the dragons."

"Oh, thanks, babe," Charlie smiled.

"Charlie's a rockstar, man," Dean said. Not that he was overly fond of putting Charlie in danger either – especially after what had nearly happened with the Stynes, but he knew that she was pretty badass and fully capable of taking on the pansies that were the British Men of Letters.

"Ron?" Harry asked his best friend, who he supposed, was Charlie's boss.

"I think she could do it. And she'll have backup. At least Luna, of course, but I was thinking also you, Harry."

"Woah," Sam said. "Last time Harry went to the compound…"

"I was completely fine," Harry interrupted, not wanting to rehash that particular incident.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"What happened, Harry?" Ron asked, knowing that there had to be a reason that Dean's older brother protective mode had been activated.

"They have weapons that work against angels," Sam said when Harry didn't answer. "They got Harry with one – and…well…"

"I was fine," Harry insisted.

"You had third-degree burns!" Sam argued.

"That I healed!"

"Yeah, only after we were able to wake you up. Not to mention that the angels already found you there once," Sam said.

"And you couldn't fly or hear prayers," Dean pointed out.

"I was able to apparate out."

Ron frowned. All of this sounded bad. "Maybe you shouldn't be backup then, Harry. I can go in with Charlie and Luna."

"What because it would be great for the Minister of Magic's husband to be breaking into a compound that is supposed to be top secret?" Harry asked. "Don't you think that would cause a problem?"

"Only if I got caught," Ron said, resentfully, hating that Harry had a point.

"Great. So, it's decided. We'll sneak Charlie and Luna in when you two go in to talk to Mick. I'll be close by – hopefully just outside their wards."

They proceeded to hammer out the details and the backup plans. Which was all well and good – but Harry realized that it meant that he was going to have to go to Grimmauld Place to pick up a few items.

"It'll be fine, Harry," Luna encouraged.

"Right," he said. He cast a quick time spell. "Well, if I'm going to go, I better go now. Before she goes to bed."

"Good luck, dude," Dean said.

Harry gave him a half-smile and left.

III

It was later in the evening as Harry approached Grimmauld Place.

Tentatively, and without any real heart, he knocked on the door. He had sent a Patronus ahead of time, so she knew to expect him.

Sure enough, moments later, the door opened and Ginny stood on the other side.

She looked just as beautiful as she always had.

"May I come in?" Harry spoke after the two of them had just looked at each other for a bit.

She blushed. "Of course," she said, stepping out of the way.

Harry was relieved. She didn't seem to be in the rage that she had been when they saw each other at the Burrow.

As he entered what had once been his home, he felt a wave of nostalgia and longing. He had had a good life here and he had never truly appreciated it.

"Erm, would you like some tea?" Ginny asked awkwardly.

"That would be lovely," Harry said.

The two of them went into the sitting room. Ginny busied herself making the tea while Harry just looked around.

She hadn't changed much. Everything looked more-or-less the same as it had when he had lived here with her. A couple more moving pictures had been added to the walls – showing her nieces and nephews as they grew up.

Ginny returned minutes later, tea tray in hand.

"So, uh," she started at the same time that he said, "I think – "

They both stopped and looked at each other.

"Go ahead," Harry said.

"No, you," Ginny replied.

A couple of moments of awkward silence spanned between the two of them.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry for everything," he finally said. "I know why you're angry at me – you have every right. I had a lot of time to reflect, in Heaven, and honestly, the way I left you – left all of you when I decided to go back to Sam and Dean…it was terrible."

Her eyes misted. "I've missed you," she said. "And, I'm sorry, for yelling at you like that. I just – it was everything I ever dreamed of and it hurt. I didn't know…" she was full-on crying now. Harry moved from where he had been sitting across from her and sat by her side so that he could hold her.

She easily fit back into his arms and sobbed.

He didn't say anything, just whispered gentle words and rubbed her back.

"Merlin, I'm an idiot," she said, later, when she pulled away.

"You're not," Harry insisted.

She wiped tears from her eyes. "It's so good to see you, Harry." She started pouring the tea – casting a quick warming spell to heat the water that had long gone cold.

"It's good to see you," Harry said. "I know – I know that we will never be what we were, but I've missed you too, you know. I never – I didn't want to cause you any pain."

"I know," Ginny said. "You saved us. All of us. I understand that. And I'm grateful."

The "but" was hanging in the air between them.

"I don't need gratitude. You weren't wrong – it was selfish. But I need you to know, Ginny, that I fought it. The Alpha Dementor. I thought I was a goner, for a little bit, it showed me everything I had done wrong in my life, and everyone I had hurt. But then Crowley…" There was a lump in his throat. He needed her to understand this. "I had a moment of clarity. Just one. And all I knew was that if I killed it, Sam and Dean would be safe. You'd be safe. You have to understand that. Please, Ginny. You have to…" He searched her eyes, looking for any level of understanding. Of forgiveness.

And he saw it – her eyes bright with tears again.

"I'm not sure that I can truly understand. But, to know that you tried…that you didn't just…I loved you so much. To think that you died, not knowing…"

"I knew," Harry said. "I promise you I knew."

She nodded. "Good."

They sat together and drank tea. It felt normal.

"I – I don't think we can get back what we had before," Ginny admitted. "I meant it when I said that I still loved you and I probably always will, but I can't – Harry, I don't think I could go through that again."

"I understand," Harry said, his eyes misting a little. "I love you too. And, until recently, I honestly didn't think I had a prayer of making any of it up to you in this lifetime. It's why – why I stayed away. I thought this would all just be temporary, and I didn't – no, I couldn't let myself hurt you like that again." He had never said that to anyone.

"Temporary?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah. I thought – I'd have one more adventure, help my brothers, and go back to Heaven. But – I think…I think that maybe I'll stay. Or try to. If that's ok with everyone."

"Ok? Harry…I…" she started fumbling over her words because she just couldn't believe what he was saying. "We need you. And want you. Please. Please don't leave again."

Harry looked down. She had no idea how much those words meant to him. She pulled his face up to look him directly in the eyes.

"Harry James Potter, you are loved. And wanted. And I am still so pissed at you. But you had better stay here so we can work that out. If you're not here to yell at, how am I supposed to forgive you? I couldn't."

That made Harry laugh. "Of course. You can yell at me as much as you need to."

She scoffed. "As if you could stop me, anyway, once I've put my mind to it."

"No, I really couldn't," he said. They sat together for a couple more minutes, feeling more at ease. Eventually, they moved on to what he came here for – his invisibility cloak and DA coin.

"I wasn't sure what to do with the cloak," Ginny admitted as she handed it over. "I debated. I thought of giving it to Teddy. Or passing it down to Rosie or Hugo. Or even waiting to see if Sam and Dean had children. But – I didn't want to give it up. So, I kept it."

"Any of those would have been fine," Harry said, as he held the precious object in his hands. "Although I do think it's a little too bad that all the Weasley grandchildren are currently at Hogwarts and not one of them have access to this. At least tell me that Teddy has given the Marauder's Map to one of them."

Ginny grinned. "He won't tell us which one, but I'm pretty sure he did. Probably started with Victoire, because she's the eldest, but if I had to put money on it, Fred has it now. Based on what Neville says about the trouble he's been causing."

"Doing his uncle proud then," Harry said.

"Yes."

"I – I have to get back now. Dean's a stickler about leaving first thing."

"Still in that monstrosity of a car?"

"Yes, of course."

"He let you drive it yet?"

"No," Harry scowled.

Ginny patted his arm. "You'll wear him down eventually."

"Maybe. He's pretty damn stubborn."

"Hmm," Ginny said, tilting her head in a teasing manner.

"Shut up," Harry said.

She laughed. "It was good to see you, Harry. Don't be a stranger." He nodded. In an impulsive moment, Ginny leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"Friends?" He asked.

"Always," she said.

He left, feeling better than he had before he got there.

III

They stopped the car a couple of miles out from the compound to the point where they agreed to meet Luna and Charlie. The women had decided that it would be better to apparate to a meeting point than to have to take an hours-long road trip with Sam and Dean.

The plan was simple. Sam and Dean would drive-in. Sam would keep a bag in the backseat that he would "forget" in the car. From there, he would announce that and go to fetch it. While he did that, Charlie and Luna would sneak out of the door and go to work.

Mary had given the boys a blueprint of the compound that she had been able to smuggle out ages ago, so Charlie and Luna would know where they were going.

Harry and Ron were waiting just outside the wards and away from the cameras that might catch them. They hoped that they wouldn't be needed at all. But they didn't want to put Charlie and Luna in any more danger than they were in already.

"This is it, do you need anything else?" Harry asked them, worried.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Geez, Dad, it's amazing that we were able to stay alive without you."

"Shut up," Harry responded cleverly.

"We've got everything we need, Harry," Luna assured him.

"And this is so cool," Charlie said, pulling the cloak on and off again. "I can only imagine what you did with this when you were at Hogwarts," she said.

"I already asked him, he didn't use it even once to sneak into the girl's locker rooms," Dean said.

"Really?" Charlie asked, affronted. "That's all I would have used it for."

They high-fived.

"Are they always like this?" Harry asked Sam.

"Pretty much," his younger brother confirmed. "Alright, let's get going. Mick's expecting us in fifteen."

Luna disillusioned herself while Charlie made sure that the cloak was wrapped around her tightly.

"They good?" Dean asked, from the driver's seat.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Be careful."

Dean saluted him and they drove off.

"So, Dean was saying something about gas station food. And I know he's a moron, but I thought…"

"Sure, Ron," Harry sighed. "Let's get you some snacks."

Ron did his best to not look too excited.

III

"Ah, here it is," Sam said louder than was strictly necessary as he grabbed his duffle bag from the backseat. No one was watching him – there was just an impassive security guy standing by the door to the garage where the Impala was parked.

He got the double tap on his shoulder that told him that Charlie and Luna had left the car. He thought that he could faintly make out the outline of Luna, but hoped that was just a wizard thing.

As he passed through the door back to where Dean was waiting for Mick, he felt one of them brush up against him.

Charlie had to work hard not to giggle when they snuck into the main door by clinging closely to Sam's back. Luna had cast a muffling charm on the two of them to keep their footsteps quiet, but she had warned Charlie that she wanted to keep the magic to a minimum. They weren't sure what sort of anti-magic wards they might come across.

Charlie's heart beat fast.

She and Luna had done several missions for Ron while trying to work against the British Men of Letters, but this was, by far, the most exciting. It was the exact kind of adventure she had been longing for. And being able to do it with the love of her life just made it seem all the more surreal and awesome.

Of course, she knew this was serious work, not just an adventure for her. But it was still thrilling.

Deftly, she and Luna navigated the hallways. Her hot witch of a girlfriend led the way – they were holding hands under the cloak.

The first stop they got to without an issue. The Armory.

They needed information, but, more than that, they needed to protect Harry Potter. Of course, Harry himself didn't know about this stop, because if he did, he might have tried to stop them. But Ron, Dean, and Sam had actually agreed on something, which in and of itself was monumental, and that was that the British Men of Letters should not be allowed to have weapons that could hurt an angel. Especially since the only two angels (that were not archangels) left on Earth were both close friends and family.

Once they were inside with a fingerprint stolen from a glass that Ketch had drank from, thanks to the super sneaky Mary Winchester. 'A real MILF,' Charlie allowed herself to think. If she wasn't in a committed relationship and if Mary wasn't tragically straight, she would totally have shot her shot with her.

It was all very 007. If James Bond were the bad guy.

"Start looking," Luna whispered to her, letting go of her hand.

Oh right. They had a mission here.

Charlie quickly got to work. Mary had some thoughts on where the weapons might be stored, but there were a lot of boxes to look through.

Thankfully, her girlfriend was magic. (Not just in bed – although Charlie certainly had no complaints about that part of their relationship.)

With a couple of flicks of her wand, all the boxes that contained grace flew in front of them.

Charlie had no idea what they were looking at, but it certainly looked scary. Ropes and whips and chains were all held in containers that she suspected held holy oil. More high-tech-looking weapons too – including one that had originally hurt Harry – a net that could be electrified to make the holy oil burn.

Hermione had sent them her bottomless bag (which, if anyone had asked Charlie, she would have sworn that, despite her claims to the opposite, that the Minister of Magic had played D&D as a child and got the idea from a bag of holding). They used this bag to stuff the weapons in as quickly as possible.

Once they were done, Luna carefully used spells to place the boxes where they had been. Charlie removed the signal interrupter that she had created as one of her magic-and-technology hybrids, that had, hopefully, made their visit to the armory hidden on the security cameras.

Charlie looked down at her wrist. They had spent eight minutes here. Which means they needed to work fast. That was half their time. But, so far, they were ahead of schedule. Time for stop two.

III

Dean did not like being there. It was his first visit to the British Men of Letters compound. And, so far, he was not impressed.

They had been waiting there for fifteen minutes and Mick had yet to make an appearance.

"Alright, that's it. I'm waiting in the car," he said to Sam.

"Dean, dude, wait a second," Sam responded.

"No. You know what? It's bad enough that they have Mom and Teddy and they asked for our help on this job, but I didn't sign up for this reporting for duty crap, especially when they're late."

"Sorry I'm late," Mick said as he walked into the room. The door locked behind him. "My report to the home office ran long. We've had our hands full since…"

There was still a large bloodstain on the floor from when the Alpha vampire had attacked the compound. "Well, best not to dwell on that."

"Wow. That is some world-class repression. You are British."

"We prefer to call it a stiff upper lip," Mick quipped back.

"Ok," Sam said trying to stop the argument before it started. "Enough. Mick, what's the deal with the bat signal?"

Mick sighed. "There was an incident in Wisconsin." He handed a folder to Sam. "A girl named Hayden Foster's in hospital, and her brother lost his heart. Looks like a werewolf."

"Well, they don't usually leave behind survivors," Sam said, looking over the folder.

"Freak probably got spooked before it could finish the job," Dean said.

"Perhaps. But it usually takes more than a fright to put your average werewolf off his supper."

"Oh, you'd know that, would you?" Dean had heard all about how unprepared the British Men of Letters had been for the vampire attack.

"Actually, I would. I did extensive research into lycanthropy at Kendricks," he said, walking over and pulling a couple of books off a shelf.

"Kendricks?" Dean asked.

"The Kendricks School. It's where the British Men of Letters train their operatives. It's like our – "

"Hogwarts," Sam finished the sentence for him.

"Exactly," Mick looked pleased with himself. "I forgot, you had the opportunity to work with some of our students when you were at Hogwarts, did you not, Sam?"

Dean looked at his brother. He vaguely remembered Sam telling him that he had met Mick during that year. He didn't realize that Sam had worked with British Men of Letters in training. Sam's look told him that he would explain more later. Dean's look back told Sam that he better.

"Yes. They were convinced that they could beat the Quidditch teams I had been coaching at a physical contest."

"Their instructors were less-than-impressed when I reported back on how our students performed," Mick said, smiling a little at the memory. "You know, they said that you were at Hogwarts because you were doing studies in comparative magical education systems, but that couldn't have been right could it? Why were you there?"

Sam froze.

"Yeah, Sam, why?" Dean goaded.

"To keep an eye on Teddy, of course," Sam answered smoothly after some quick thinking. "He had just lost Harry, after all, and Ginny and his grandmother agreed that having me there would help him during the grieving process. I thought Dean was gone, so I thought that it would do me some good too."

"Mmmm," Mick said, neither brother was sure if he bought the story or not. "Anyway, Kendricks has the largest collection of occult lore in the world."

"Cool," Sam said, looking back at Dean who gave him a look that said he thought it was anything but.

"So, when it comes to werewolves, I'm not entirely ignorant. For example, we know that last night's attack didn't happen on a full moon. Therefore, we're looking for a pureblood."

"You think?" Dean scoffed. "It looks like a milk run to me."

"Then you don't mind if I tag along?" Mick asked.

"Mick, um… Listen, I – I don't think…I don't think it's really your kind of thing."

"Oh, no, maybe it should be," Mick said. "I had the best team, but most of us, we were thinkers, not fighters. And let's be honest – you and your brother are the only reason I'm still alive."

"So, now you want to be like us?" Dean asked incredulously.

"No. I just want to be ready for whatever's next."

III

Mary had never been in the research wing of the British Men of Letters compound. But she had an idea of where it was located.

Once again, Luna and Charlie wound their way through stark hallways. They had a close encounter with a man in a white lab coat that had been a near thing, but they had managed to dodge him and find each other again by grasping at the air.

When they arrived at the door, ready to use the thumbprint, the door opened so suddenly that they had had to jump out of the way.

"And don't you forget the milk this time, Mr. Lupin," an obnoxious voice called out from within the room, as Teddy Lupin came barreling into the hallway. Charlie hadn't had the chance to meet him in person yet, but as they slipped into the room from the door he had opened, she couldn't help but think that he looked awfully young. But that could have had something to do with the awesome shade of purple that he had made his hair.

Even though they all knew Teddy was there, it had been agreed that they should tell the young wizard as little as possible. Harry didn't want to endanger him any more than he was already, and Sam and Dean had agreed.

"Really, Mr. Ketch, how can you allow him to keep his hair that color? It is quite unprofessional." A snooty voice from a woman in a lab coat asked the hunter.

'So, this is the famous Mr. Ketch,' Charlie thought to herself. He had a face that, for some reason, made her want to punch him.

"I assure you, I keep him under tight control when we're around civilians," Ketch said. "But, in the meantime, I've been studying how his hair changes with his emotions. I would have thought that a metamorphmagus of his age would be in much better control."

"Perhaps it's the stress he's under," the woman said with disgust.

Mr. Ketch pursed his lips. "Perhaps. While the boy is off fetching tea, you said that you had another research subject you'd like me to see?"

"Ah, yes, just this way," she responded.

By a great stroke of luck, the two of them left the room, leaving the computer wide open.

"Yahtzee," Charlie said. She immediately started typing furiously at the keyboard. The woman in the lab coat hadn't bothered to put on the lock screen when she left. Idiot, Charlie thought.

"I'm going to go have a look around," Luna whispered to her. "If you don't need me."

"Yeah, I've got this, babe," Charlie said, not looking away from the computer. She only had about five minutes to download as many files as possible onto this hard drive.

She barely noticed the time passing, but as the screen showed 100% complete, the outside door opened again.

Teddy Lupin had a tray, laden with tea supplies. His hair was now a dark blue and his face was very serious as he concentrated on not dropping what was in his hands.

"Now," Luna whispered to her. Charlie jumped a little. She hadn't even known that Luna was back.

"Great, I've got what I need."

Charlie stuck her foot out and was able to catch the door so the two of them could slip out and head back to the garage.

III

Sam pulled Dean into the hallway while Mick packed his stuff. Dean was still not convinced. He also glanced down at his watch to see how much time had passed. He'd like to give Harry and the girls a little more time.

"Dude, he's dead weight, and you know it," he said, starting an argument with Sam to try and buy them more time.

Sam knew what Dean was trying, so he did his best to act as he would normally when his eldest brother was acting like a petulant asshole. Which wasn't that hard for him to imagine. "Look, Mick's inexperienced, sure. But these people have some serious knowledge."

"So? Dude, what we do, you can't learn this crap in a book. You put on a flannel, you pick up a gun, and you go out there. Either you get good fast or you get dead faster."

"We're trying to work with these people now," Sam said. "The better they are, the better we are. And the safer Teddy is. Look, Mick held his own with the Alpha. Why not give him a shot? Maybe he'll come in handy."

"And what if he gets himself killed?"

"I heard that," Mick said as he came out of the room.

"Good," Dean responded. "If he's coming, you're babysitting him," he said, pointing at Sam.

The three of them headed down to the Impala.

"Hold on a second there, lads," a voice called after them just as they were about to get in. Ketch came striding in, followed closely by Teddy.

"Ted!" Sam greeted, going to hug his nephew. "I thought that they had you working at a different outpost today," he said, looking at Mick who had told them that on the phone.

Dean went to glare at Mick as well. "And I thought that Harry made it clear that he wasn't to be out in the field. At all."

"He's been shadowing Ketch for the last couple of weeks," Mick said. "I assure you – it has all been done safely."

"Yeah, because Ketch is a safe person to be around," Dean muttered.

"Your mother certainly thinks so," Ketch quipped.

"What did you just say about my mother?" Dean asked, closing the space between him and Ketch, ready to get in his face. And while Sam didn't look too pleased either, he grabbed Dean's shoulder to prevent him from getting too close.

"Just that she and I have been hunting together. Whatever did you think I meant?" Ketch asked innocently, a sparkle in his eyes telling them that he knew exactly what he was saying.

"Mr. Ketch," Mick reprimanded.

"Alright. I just heard about your little case and I thought it would be a prime opportunity for the young Mr. Lupin to…sink his teeth…into a case without anyone's knickers getting in a twist. After all, Mr. Potter could hardly complain if he's with his uncles, right?"

"Winchester," Sam corrected.

"Whatever," Ketch said. "Will you take the boy or not?"

Dean looked conflicted. He didn't want to do anything that the Men of Letters asked him to do, but he did know that this would give Harry a chance to talk with Teddy – really talk to him, to make sure things were alright.

As always, Sam got there quicker than Dean. "Yes. Of course. Do you need to pack a bag?"

Teddy grinned. "No! I've got mine right here," he held up a duffle bag.

"Alright. Get in," Dean said.

He didn't need to be told twice – he hurried to get into the back seat as if he wasn't quick enough that Sam and Dean would change their minds and he would get left behind. He was probably not wrong.

"Well, ain't this just a merry band of misfits," Dean muttered as he climbed into the driver's seat. There was writing on the dashboard. On his dashboard. Someone had writing on his baby. He turned to Sam with angry eyes, ready to explode. Subtly, Sam shook his head, 'no,' and Dean managed to school his facial features just in time for Mick and Teddy being able to see them in the rearview mirror.

"Just drive, Dean," Sam muttered.

Dean growled under his breath and started the car.

III

Dean pulled over at a Gas n' Sip just a couple of miles up the road from the Men of Letters compound.

"Why are you stopping already?" Mick asked. "It looks like you have plenty of petrol."

"I'm hungry," Dean snapped. "Is it against your rules to stop for snacks?"

"No, of course not," Mick responded. "Just surprised you didn't make it further."

The glare Dean gave him made Mick internally recoil.

"In fact, I think that any food should be covered as a business expense," Mick said, trying to get on Dean's good side. "Here, take this card, and get whatever you want. On us," he offered the card out to Dean who just glanced down at it, distastefully.

"What so that we can be flagged with international credit card fraud? No, you better come inside with me, Mary Poppins."

Mick retracted the card. "Oh. Of course. After you then."

Dean huffed and started heading inside.

"Ted, why don't you go with Dean and Mick?" Sam asked his nephew.

Teddy looked surprised. "Oh, sure. I'm not hungry though."

"You're not now, but I know that Dean is currently trying to bleed the British Men of Letters dry with road food, so why don't you go help him?"

"Oh. Ok," Ted followed Dean and Mick inside.

Once Sam was sure that neither Mick nor Teddy were in eyesight of the Impala, he opened the trunk. He pulled the invisibility cloak off of Charlie and offered her a hand.

"Oh, thank Captain Adama," she said. "That trunk may be able to fit a body, but we had to squeeze in tight."

"Sorry about that," Sam said. "Wasn't expecting to have passengers. Thanks for the note." Luna had magicked a secret note on the dashboard – one that could only be read by its intended recipients. "But I sure as hell hope that you have a way to wash it off, and quickly because I don't know that I can keep Dean back from murdering you for defacing his Baby."

Luna appeared behind Charlie and climbed out of the trunk as well. She quickly flicked her wand. "It's gone. You know – Harry was the one that told me to use that spell. He said that Dean wouldn't mind. Was he wrong?"

Sam couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, that's good. I can't wait to tattle. I wonder if Dean will try and start a prank war with Harry over it."

"That would be unwise," Luna frowned.

"That would be hilarious," Charlie disagreed. "What else can we pin on Harry? How long do you think it would take Dean to lose his cool?"

Sam chuckled. "Maybe some other time. And don't you dare tell Dean I ever said this, but I'm pretty sure that Harry could knock the snot out of him. But it would escalate way too fast. Did you get what you needed?"

"We did," Luna said.

"Once I solved the algorithm it was easier than stealing candy from a vending machine," Charlie said. "I'm pretty sure a five-year-old could have cracked the code."

Sam was one hundred percent sure that that wasn't true.

"What did you learn?"

"Nothing yet," Charlie said. She held up a USB stick. "But I got all their files here. And a better understanding of their communication system."

"Good, good," Sam said. He glanced up and saw that Dean was at the cash register. "You two need to get out of here. You all set?"

"Yep. We'll sneak around back and side-along apparate back to the Bunker. Then we'll get Ron and Harry to help us look through it all."

Sam snorted. "Good luck with that. If Hermione's to be believed, getting those two to do any sort of homework is a nightmare."

Luna smiled knowingly. Dean started coming out the door.

"Go, now!" Sam said.

Charlie and Luna quickly slipped away.

AN – Early(ish) update this week! I'm headed out for a girl's weekend and wanted to be sure to post before I left because I don't know how the internet will be (or how drunk I'll be) at my normal posting time.

Yes, the boys argued again last chapter, but see how much better they are getting at resolving it? It's a slow process but they are beginning to become slightly better communicators.

I consider the conversation between Harry and Ginny to be a wrap on any hints of Hinny in this fic. I really like them as a couple, but I totally understand why others don't. They still love each other, but not in the way that they did before. Hopefully, that's a good middle-ground for all.

Briefly mentioned in this chapter is an adventure with Charlie Weasley, Charlie, and Luna, which was a one-shot I was hoping to write for Ace Pride Day, but never quite got around to. Maybe sometime this summer I will get there.

As always, thank you to those of you who comment and review! I look forward to seeing you next week.