Unfound

by Megz2

[SEQUEL] Mary Winchester knows that her baby was taken from her. Being dead for over 30 years isn't going to stop her search. An old flame alerts Sam and Dean to the dangers posed by the British Men of Letters. And Harry Potter returns at last - this time with wings. Oh, and there is the small matter of the impending birth of the child of Lucifer. Part 6 of 6.

31. Chapter Thirty

Unfound

Chapter Thirty

Season 13, Episode 3: Patience – Dean hunts a wraith with Jody and meets Patience, while Sam stays home with Jack.

The monster grinned as he stood outside of the psychic's office. This was years in the works. His discerning taste was rare for his kind. Most were happy to take whatever brains they could get their hands on. But not him. Not once he had gotten a taste of the good stuff.

It had all started with the weakened witch that he had found thrown out in a dumpster. She had already been tortured and was near dead but those disposing of her weren't as thorough as they got to be later. (He had kept checking outside of the…compound…but had never struck luck there a second time.)

At first, he didn't even understand what that woman had been. But there had been something … tantalizing about her.

So, he started to search. There were rumors of a group of creatures that were so powerful that they had managed to hide completely from Hunters. He had thought those were just monster bedtime stories. A fantasy of safety. It was said that if they were ever caught they could just erase their existence from the minds of those who came across them.

But he had found them. Apparently, there were members of this magical community (real magic, not what demon-power borrowing witches he had always known about) who chose to make themselves outcasts.

Once he knew the signs it became easier. Of course, he had still had to supplement his diet with those who were less than appealing while he hunted, but now, he knew he had hit the motherload.

This woman – if she could even be called that – lived cut off from the community. Self-exiled. But she was special. She didn't just have magic. She had the gift of sight.

The wraith had only come across one like her before. And not only was that man the most delicious he had ever savored – but the wraith was also able to learn things from eating his brain. Like where he could find more. And there were so many more. The brain waves just spoke to him. It was tantalizing. It was titillating. It was the best experience of his life and he wanted more.

But he had to be careful. And cautious. It had taken him months to track down this particular gem. And she was going to lead him to even more.

With confidence, he strolled into her shop. "Hello?" He asked.

"Sorry, I was just closing up," the woman said.

He pretended to be disappointed. Like he hadn't planned just this. He started to turn and leave.

"Oh, but, come in," she said, moved by his display. "Seems like something's on your mind."

"Yeah. A lot, actually," he said, truthfully.

She invited him to sit and pulled out her tarot cards. Like you need those, he thought.

"So, what can I help you with?"

"Shouldn't you know already?" He pushed. "Sign outside says you're psychic."

"I'm a psychic counselor, not a mind reader," she explained, nicer than he would have if someone had questioned him this way. "I read energies, auras."

You can't hear me? He thought. She didn't react. Maybe he had been wrong about her. He tried to keep the disappointment off his face. He needed to eat, in any case.

"Can you read mine?" He asked her.

"Close your eyes," she instructed.

He closed his eyes and leaned forward. She held her hands on either side of his head. She started to shake – ah, got you now, he thought. As she started to pull away from him, he stabbed her hand with a knife, trapping her where she sat.

"Can't let you run away, especially now that I know," he said. He moved behind him.

"No, no, please no," she begged. He loved this part.

He kissed her head. "You are the real deal. I was beginning to worry that you weren't. Just magical enough to have your abilities. Not magical enough to be any real threat to me."

"Please no, please don't."

He pulled her head back by her hair. "Shut up," play time was over.

"Please, you don't have to. Please."

He pierced into her skull. As he ate, images came to him. Not just of another like her – but a whole family. And more than that – a school. These motherfuckers had a school. Children would be even easier to hunt. He'd have to be careful but as the glimpses of what this woman knew started to slip through his mind, he knew that the next one would be the real prize.

III

Jack was standing in his room in the Bunker when there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" he called out. He hoped it was Ted. His friend had said that he needed to run some errands to get out of the Bunker and its "oppressive atmosphere" for a couple of hours and Dean hadn't let him go with him.

"Hey, it's me. Uh, Sam," Sam said. Jack sighed as Sam opened the door, he had something in his hands. "Hey. Just checking in. You haven't come out since Teddy left. That's fine, I mean it's all been…pretty insane, I'm sure. But, um, anyway, I brought you something. Please, have a seat."

Jack sat down on the bed on command.

"Before you were born, your mom left you a message. I know you have a bunch of questions and hopefully, this is the start." Sam handed the laptop over with a small stick-like device. Jack had no idea what it was. "Right, yeah," he said, forgetting that Jack was not the young man he looked like. "Here, I'll, um…" he put it into the computer. "There you go. Just push the button, whenever you're ready." Sam started to slowly back out of the room.

"Thank you," Jack said.

He pressed pay. "Hi, Jack," came a familiar voice attached to a very beautiful woman that Jack had to assume was his mother. He had never seen her from the outside. "it's uh… I'm your mom. I guess I should tell you, um, I always wanted to be a mom. I'd play with dolls. I was that kind of girl and daydream about my baby."

Sam didn't get a chance to see what Jack's reaction was as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He didn't recognize the number. "Hello," he answered.

"Sam Winchester?" came a familiar voice on the other end. "It's good to hear your voice."

"Missouri," Sam said with surprise. "Wow, it's been, uh…"

"I know, a long time. Last I heard you were doing well – Mary filled me in from time to time."

Sam had forgotten that Missouri knew his mother. How bizarre and small his world was. "That's alright, how are you?"

"Honestly? I could use some help."

III

Harry was cooking in the kitchen. Molly had left meals behind, but he needed to do something. He and Teddy had gotten into another argument this morning which had resulted in his godson storming off. It was extremely frustrating that he couldn't go after the young man. Dean had locked the garage so that he couldn't steal another motorbike. The very thought of it made him scowl in the direction of Sam, who was sitting at a table, on the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, no, I hear you," Sam was saying. "Yeah, thank you, Jody. Yeah." He hung up and Dean walked into the room.

"What's up?" Dean asked him.

"You'll never believe this. I got a call from Missouri Moseley."

"The witch who Mom worked with to find me?" Harry asked, surprising both his brothers. He had more-or-less been giving the two of them the silent treatment all morning. In response, the two of them had pretended that he wasn't there.

Dean had forgotten that Missouri was secretly a witch. He decided not to focus on that as he nodded to Harry. "Wow. What's it been, like a decade?"

"More," Sam replied.

"How is she?"

"Not great. She said she got out of the life for a while, but something happened and she needed help with a case, so I put Jody on it."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because we need to stay here. We need to help Jack learn how to control his powers. Jody can handle this."

"Yeah, maybe she can. But what if things get…" he glanced at Harry, acknowledging him at last, "witchy? His kind of witchy. She's what…"

"A non-practitioner," Sam supplied.

"Yeah. So, she doesn't do magic, but what if this has to do with those types? Then maybe she ends up dead because you wanted to skip out on her to babysit the antichrist. Harry can stay here with Jack. Let's go."

"Hey!" Harry protested.

"Dean, we need him, and no offense, Harry, but I don't think that you are in the best place to be watching over someone so powerful by yourself."

Harry didn't dignify that with a response.

"No, we don't need him."

"Mom…" Sam started.

"Don't," Dean said sharply. "You…if you want to say here and Mr. Muyagi the kid, knock yourself out. I didn't sign up for that. So, I'm going to go to work."

Dean walked off.

III

Jody had arrived on the scene just as the police officers were about to leave. She had had to call in a couple of favors because this was extremely out of her jurisdiction, but she was happy to help Sam and Dean whenever she could. "I appreciate the favor," she said to the detective in front of the police car. "Thank you very much." She started walking back toward Missouri. "I talked to him, everything's ok. So, the victim, Dede, was a friend of yours?"

"My protégée," Missouri answered her, sounding upset, "she was like a daughter to me. The closest of kin I had in my life these days," she said. The Impala drives up to where they were standing. Missouri smiled. "I always did love that car. Dean Winchester!" She called out as Dean came out of the car.

"Missouri. Jody. I'm not sure which one of you to hug first," he said, his eyes darting back and forth between the two women. "Hey," he hugged Missouri when Jody gave him the go-ahead.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry for your losses." And then she slapped him upside the head.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"You need to be nicer to your younger brother."

"Which one?"

"Don't you give me sass, both of them. But you know who I mean. Poor boy's been through enough."

"Ah, leave it to a psychic to cut right through the small talk, huh?"

"Come here," Jody said, pulling him into a hug. "How're you doing?"

"Dandy," he responded.

They headed inside. Dean wasn't one to stray far from the topic at hand either. He cut to the trace. "What'd the sheriff have to say?"

"Victim was found with a hole at the base of her skill and her brain's…" Jody forgot she was talking about Missouri's surrogate daughter. "Sorry."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Wraith?" Dean guessed.

Missouri nodded. "No forced entry," Dean said, looking at the door.

"Excuse me, dears," she said, going over to the door. She touched it, her eyes closed.

"Missouri reads objects," Dean explained to Jody. "It's kinda her thing."

"He pretended to be a customer, said he needed help. Dede was always a soft touch," Missouri said, narrating what she saw in her head. "He is a wraith. But he's picked up a taste for our kind."

"He feeds on psychics?"

Missouri shook her head. "No. Magic folk. He prefers those of us with the Sight – and he's found more of us than any other because so many of us live outside of the community."

"Magic? Like Teddy magic?" Jody had no idea that this was one of those cases.

"Missouri's a witch," Dean said.

"You take that disdain out of your voice, young man," Missouri shot at him. "I haven't practiced in years. Neither had Dede. No need to be testy about it."

"Yeah, but you knew about Harry and…"

"You think I should have told you? And how would you have reacted? Your daddy was missin' and Harry was safe 'n sound where he was…" she stopped for a second. "Oh, oh," she said.

Dean's annoyance quickly switched to concern. "Missouri, Missouri, you ok?"

"James!" She called out.

III

Sam had Jack sitting in the study of the Bunker.

"Train me?" He asked. "To what?"

"I've seen what you can do, Jack. You're powerful, but you have to learn to control it. You know, to focus."

"So, I don't hurt anyone, anymore," Jack said, troubled. The thing was that he was beginning to learn some magic. Ted had taught him. He could see that Sam was magic too. But he wondered what the older man wanted him to do.

"Exactly," Sam agreed. "See this pencil? I want you to move it. With your mind." Sam put a pencil on the table in front of Jack.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Jack put his hand over the pencil, trying to see if he could feel any magic like he had when Ted sent him the paper airplane message. He concentrated hard, trying to move it. Nothing.

"I can't," he finally said, dejected. "Nothing. I'm useless."

"Alright," Sam said, patience in his tone. "Jack, when you did use your powers, what was it like?"

"I don't…It was like, breathing, blinking. It just happens."

"Even when you healed Harry? That just happened?" Sam pushed.

"No," Jack said. "I saw that he was hurt and I felt hurt and I didn't want to hurt so I just…"

"Ok. Um, then, uh, imagine that again."

"No!"

"No? Why not?"

"Because I don't want to! That hurt. It's just…I can't do this! And you keep staring at me, waiting!"

Harry snorted from the doorway, breaking the tension a little. Both looked up, not having realized that he was there. "Really, Sam? Move it with his mind? You spent how long at Hogwarts and that was the best way you could think to teach him magic?"

Sam shot him a bitchface.

"You refuse to help! I had to do something. What, did you want me to get him a wand?"

"He'd burn through it in a second!"

"You never burned through yours."

"That's not true. Just because I didn't tell you – why do you think I use that angel blade wand Gabriel made me?"

"'Cause you're a show-off." This time, Harry gave Sam a look. Sam was unimpressed. "Look, if you've got a better idea, you're welcome to join, but if you're just going to stand there and criticize, then…"

Harry crossed his arms. "Thought you and Dean wanted me to stay away from the kid."

"We didn't say that!"

"Dean did."

"Dean's an idiot. Obviously, since you're like him, you'd be the best to teach him, but you…"

"I'm not like him, am I?" Harry said dangerously. "Thanks to you and Dean, I'm powerless."

"It was Gabriel's idea! And he said…"

"I know what he bloody said, you already told me. But I've not gotten any better have I? And Gabriel has all sorts of crap ideas, I don't know when you and Dean started going along with them."

"You would have died!"

"I wouldn't've. And, in any case, I think that's my decision, isn't it?"

Sam slammed his fist down on the table. "Damnit, Harry, we were trying to make the best of a shit situation, like always, and it was the best way at the time. I don't know how many times we have to explain…"

"I don't CARE HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN!" Harry yelled. "It was a terrible idea. And now not only are Gabriel and Mom missing but your mate Crowley HAS MY GODFATHER. And you and Dean have prevented me from leaving this Merlin-forsaken place to go and FIND him."

"Black killed Castiel!"

"And Castiel killed me!"

Sam rubbed his temples, back to this again. "Harry, you gotta understand…" He and Dean had worked with dozens of creatures and monsters over the years to achieve what they wanted. Castiel, despite his many sins, had been one of the most palatable.

"I DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!"

Jack suddenly disappeared from the room. That caught both Winchester's attention.

"Great, look what you did," Sam said to Harry. "Why don't you just go back to brooding in your room like a teenager?"

"Oh, yeah, this is my fault."

"You were yelling in front of him! You know that conflict stresses him out." Sam started to storm out of the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go find Jack," he said. "You stay here in case he comes back."

Sam didn't give Harry the chance to argue, he just grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair and left.

III

Missouri grabbed the mirror. It was really something she preferred not to use, but she was just so worried. And this was an emergency.

"James Moseley," she spoke into it.

"Hello?" He answered.

"James, baby?" Missouri asked, relieved to see her son's face. It had been far too long.

"Mom?" He asked.

"I know. I'm not supposed to contact you, but this is important."

James' expression changed from surprise to annoyance in about three seconds flat. "Let me guess. You had a vision."

"Yes, you have to believe me. James something bad is coming. It's coming to Ilvermorny. It's coming for Pai…"

He ended the connection between the mirrors. Missouri sighed and went into the living room where Dean and Jody were waiting. She hands them a slip of paper.

"I want you to go to my son, James' house," she said. "This paper will show you where to find them. My granddaughter – Patience, she's just finishing her last year of school. This wraith, he'll be coming for her. And James. That's what I saw."

"Alright, let's go," Dean said, ready to head straight out the door.

"No, I'm…It…I just complicate things. James won't have anything to do with me and he'd be none-to-pleased if I showed up at pick-up day."

"Why not?" Jody asked.

"He has his reasons," Missouri said. "I'll just stay behind, say my farewells to Dede."

"How are we supposed to go to a magic school anyway? Won't they kick us out the moment they clock as Muggles?"

"She won't be at school. At least, not Ilvermorny, she's on her way home now. Oh, and be sure to call your nephew Teddy to come and join you. He can help with any wizards you might come across. And it'll give him and Harry a break from each other – which they desperately need."

Dean frowned. "No, I don't like that at all."

"You don't have to like it. You just have to do it. You save my family, you hear me, Dean Winchester?" She said it so sternly that Dean knew better than to argue. He nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"Good. And thank you," she responded, her voice softer.

He and Jody headed out of the house.

III

Teddy was surprised when Jack appeared next to him while he was eating some ice cream outside of a shop in Lebanon. He was taking a break from the Bunker, and more importantly, from Harry, who was infuriating him. He had wanted to take Jack with him, but Dean had been a total arse about it.

"Jack!" He said, "Dean finally let you go?"

"No," Jack said. "Harry and Sam were…yelling. And I wanted to be…away."

"Yeah, they're being real pricks," Teddy said. "What were they arguing over now?"

"Me," Jack said miserably. "Sam was trying to train me and Harry didn't like the way he was doing it and then it just…got worse from there. Why are they always so angry?"

"They're wound up tight over what happened in Limbo," he said. "But they don't have the right to take out their issues with each other out on you. Normally, it's Harry and Dean who have a go at it, but these days it seems to be equal opportunity. Never seen a family as dysfunctional as the three of them."

"It's not me?"

Ted's heart broke a little. As the eldest of the "next generation", he already felt that Jack was like one of his younger cousins who needed to be both initiated into the family and protected from it. It also put his own childhood in sharp perspective. He had felt like an outsider for most of his life, but he had never had it as hard as Jack did. He moved to give Jack a hug.

"Oh," Jack said. "This is nice." He pulled back. "Your Gran…she also hugged me. What does it mean?"

Ted had never wanted to hex his godfather or uncles harder than at that moment. "I think she also told you to call her Gran," he said. "It means that you're family. That we care about you. Sorry, kid, you're a Weasley now, whether you want to be or not. Gran'll be adding you to the clock now, no doubt. I hope you like jumpers."

"I don't understand," Jack said. "What's a Weasley?"

III

Patience was in the entrance hall Ilvermorny waiting for her portkey home for the weekend. As a seventh year, she had the privilege of only having to stay in the dorms during the week. For the weekends, she could take a portkey to a local, Muggle, boarding school, so it looked as though she was just a normal teenager coming home. The current principal at the Brandon Hall School was a squib who facilitated this process. It made Patience feel better – being able to go home. She was all her dad had. And he was all she did.

"Oh hey!" Her roommate and friend, Ronson, bounced into the room, dressed in her full Quadpot uniform.

"Hey," Patience said as she opened her backpack to make sure she brought all the books she needed for the weekend home. NEWTS were coming up, after all.

"Where were you earlier? We waited for you!"

"Library," Patience said, still not pulling her attention away from her bag. Did I forget my potions book?

"Why'd I even ask?"

Patience sighed with relief when she saw that the book was there, just buried at the bottom. She looked up to pay better attention to her friend. "How was practice?"

"Uh, heinous. Captain Crankypants kept riding my maneuverability, says we, oh and I quote, suck this year and threatened to replace the entire team."

"Before the final match? That would be quite the coup and ruin Pukwudgie's chance at the Cup this year."

"Yeah, I know. She didn't mean it."

"Still. Inspiring."

"Ronson, I was twelve," Patience said dismissively.

"And the best Quadpot player I've ever seen."

"Exams are just around the corner! I have five NEWT classes plus the pre-reading to do for my apprenticeship at the Ministry, I do not have time."

While she was talking, Ronson moved back slowly she threw the ball she had in her hands at Patience, who turned and caught it. Patience rolled her eyes while Ronson looked at her with astonishment.

"See?" She asked.

"Really?"

"You're freaking Hermione Granger!"

"Hermione Granger didn't play Quadpot – or Quidditch for that matter."

"It's such a waste," Ronson whined. Patience laughed and threw the ball at her friend.

"Do you have your things? We leave in like five minutes," she said.

"Nah," Ronson said. "I'll catch the next one." She sniffed her shirt and made a face. "I am ripe. Gotta hit the showers, later!"

"Later," Patience said with a shake of her head. Her friend never seemed concerned with time. She smiled as she thought of her summer plans. Finally – she had the opportunity to have the kind of life her dad wanted for her. With a pull in her lower stomach, the portkey activated and took her to Georgia.

The room she arrived in was dark. Which was odd. She felt like there was someone in there with her. "Hello?" She asked.

She walked slowly out of the room and into an equally dark hallway. There was a trail of blood on the floor. She followed it – at the end of the hallway, covered in blood, she saw her grandmother, Missouri.

"Patience," she said, opening her eyes suddenly.

Patience hadn't seen her grandmother in over a decade, she was shocked. She opened her mouth to scream as something grabbed her from behind.

She woke up, breathing heavily.

III

"Yeah, I've got him," Ted said, annoyed at the phone call. There was loud talking on the other end of the phone. "Well, maybe if you two could pull your heads out of your arses then…" Ted held the phone away from his head as the talking got louder and angrier. He rolled his eyes through all of it. "Right. Yeah, well we'll come back to the Bunker when we feel like it." He hung up the phone.

Jack looked at him with wide eyes. "He still sounded angry," he said.

Ted snorted. "Yeah. You get used to it."

"It doesn't scare you?"

"No, of course not…" Ted hesitated for a second. He needed to remember that Jack was barely a week old and that family dynamics were something that he would have no idea about. "Jack, you know that Sam, Dean, or Harry would never hurt you, right?"

Jack blinked. "Of course," he said unconvincingly. "They are the good guys. They don't hurt people." The silent, like I do, was loud and clear to Ted.

"They sure as hell do hurt people," Ted said vehemently. "They've all killed people. Like a lot of people."

"Monsters," Jack clarified. "They've killed monsters."

"Yeah, those too. But that doesn't mean there's never been collateral damage. Anytime they kill a demon they are also killing the person that demon is possessing. Same with angels."

"So, they're bad?" Jack said slowly.

"No. Well, it's not so black-and-white. They try to kill for the right reasons. But that's not the point. Jack, they're not going to kill you."

"I know. If they killed me, Harry would die too."

Ted looked up at him with surprise. "They told you that?"

Jack shook his head. "No. I overheard them talking and… I think it's part of the reason Dean hates me so much. Because he can't kill me without killing his brother and he can't do that to Harry. Harry is the only reason that they haven't tried to kill me yet. That and because I don't think they could."

"Even if they could kill you, they wouldn't!" Ted said, horror in his voice. He realized that might not be true. And that was unfair to Jack. "Not when they really get to know you. And I wouldn't let them."

Jack felt a surge of gratitude towards Ted. He knew that he was telling him the truth. He might be the only one who was honest with him. Ted's phone rang.

"I told you that we'd come back when we felt like it, didn't I?" He answered, annoyed that Harry had called him back again so quickly.

"Check the attitude, man," came Dean's voice from the other end of the line. Oh, Teddy thought. He hadn't looked at the caller ID.

"Hi, Dean," he said, still not thrilled, knowing how his uncle had been treating Jack.

"I'm gonna need you to come in and help us with a case," Dean said, getting straight to the point.

"What? Why me? I thought you didn't want me hunting at all?" But part of him was pleased.

"We need a wizard."

"Oh. Well, wouldn't Sam or Harry be better?"

"Harry's officially dead, so him showing up may cause a scene, plus, he's not much of anything right now. And Sam is a registered squib. You're all we got, kiddo."

"Alright. What's the case?"

"We'll fill you in when you get here," Dean said. "Just meet us at the address that I'm texting you to first thing tomorrow morning."

He hung up.

Jack looked at Ted with interest.

"Dean needs my help," he explained. "So, I guess we'll have to get back to the Bunker sooner than I thought. But before we go – let's get you some ice cream. This place is great. And I think you'll love it."

Jack nodded with enthusiasm.

III

Missouri was going through Dede's things. Since Dede had left Ilvermorny before graduating her family had disowned her and Missouri had become the girl's only family. Being a non-practitioner didn't carry the same stigma that it used to but Dede had come from a very traditional family that couldn't and wouldn't accept a different path for their eldest daughter.

Dede had often said that Missouri had saved her but Missouri knew that the favor had been returned. Of course, she understood why her son James had been so angry when his wife passed, but she didn't anticipate (or See) that her only son would take off with her granddaughter and cut her off completely. Missouri had lost her daughter-in-law, son, and granddaughter in one agonizing blow and Dede had helped her come back to herself.

Missouri knew that her life was coming to an end. She mourned the relationship that she could have had with her son and granddaughter. She had hoped that, even in the event of her passing, Dede would have been able to guide Patience through this world of being a clairvoyant witch. But that was impossible now. The path in front of Patience was a more difficult one – but, ultimately, a rewarding one. With more family and friends than she would know what to do with. Missouri could live, or really, more importantly, die, happy with that knowledge.

The wraith entered the house.

"Hello," Missouri said as she turned and faced the monster, walking towards him. "You can spare me. I know what you are and why you're here."

"Oh. And why is that?" He asked.

"You're going to kill me," she said with absolute confidence and without an ounce of fear.

"Well then, I guess it's time to, you know…scream."

"No," Missouri said firmly, "there'll be none of that. I've seen how this turns out. I run, you catch me, I die. I stay, I die. But this way my people, they're going to murder your ass."

A spike grew out of the Wraith's wrist and he held his hand up. "You sure about that?" He asked, mocking her.

Really, Missouri thought, for something that goes after psychics he should put more heed into our words.

"I am," she answered him.

"You know, this would be a lot more fun if you screamed," he confessed.

"Tough."

III

"Jack!" Sam said when the boys returned to the Bunker. The young man had an ice cream cone and a grin on his face that vanished when he saw the youngest Winchester.

"Don't sound so surprised," Harry said to his brother. "I told you that they were on their way back. Although, that was hours ago," he said the last part with a pointed look at Teddy.

Sam chose to ignore Harry. "Are you alright?" He asked with full puppy eyes.

Jack came down the stairs. "Yeah," he responded. "I just…needed to get out. Ted helped. Have you had ice cream before?"

Sam chuckled a little bit. "Yes. I'm glad that you got a break. Teddy – could you give Harry and me a moment alone with Jack?"

Ted crossed his arms. "I'm sure whatever you have to say to Jack, you could say in front of me. He's my friend."

Jack beamed at Ted. "Yes, we're friends!"

"That's great," Sam said, truly meaning it. "But we only need a couple of minutes," he was firm.

Ted was getting really sick of being tossed out of the room. "Whatever," he said. "But if you hurt his feelings again…" he pointed at Harry, specifically. Harry was about to respond, but Sam interrupted.

"We won't, I promise. Five minutes."

Ted kept walking. He needed to pack anyway.

"Have a seat, Jack," Sam said.

Jack sat at the table, feeling sinking in his stomach. He didn't want to be in trouble. "Am I in trouble?" he finally asked.

"What?" Sam said with surprise. "No. Harry and I – we wanted to apologize."

That surprised Jack. He looked up at the two men – checking to see that it wasn't just Sam who was saying that. Sam often spoke for Dean and himself and Dean didn't seem to agree, but Harry's expression had softened a little.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "It's been… a tough time for us. We both lost our tempers. But it didn't have anything to do with you."

"Didn't it?"

"Not directly," Sam said. "Harry and I…and Dean, we have some issues. That we need to work through, together. You shouldn't be caught in the crossfire."

"What issues?" Jack asked.

Harry and Sam exchanged glances in a silent conversation, not unlike what Jack had seen Sam and Dean do.

Harry spoke first. "As you know, I was recently…hurt. By a demon. He did something to my grace."

"I felt that," Jack said. "Your grace was corrupted."

Harry nodded in acceptance. He wasn't really that surprised that Jack could tell that. Sam looked a little astonished. "Well, my grace was hurting me. And Sam and Dean and…and Gabriel, they decided, without my permission, to bind my grace and my magic so that I couldn't hurt myself any more than I already had." There was a great deal of anger under that explanation, but Jack could tell that Harry was trying to keep it under control.

"Gabriel," Jack said.

"Yes. Your Uncle, actually," Sam said. "Harry is mad at Dean and me. Not you. But he chose…"

"I can speak for myself, thanks," Harry cut in. Sam gave him a look. Harry took a deep breath. "The point is, we're sorry that you had to see that. We will try to keep our…disagreements away from you. There's a lot for you to take in right now, and you don't need our family drama on top of it. It's not the nicest way for you to join us, really."

"Join you?" Jack asked.

Sam and Harry looked at each other again. This time it was different.

"Yes!" Harry said. "Didn't Sam and Dean tell you? You're family. You and I – well, we're similar. Related by grace if not blood. And I promised Kelly I'd look after you. You're stuck with us. Ted can tell you that's a bit of a mixed bag."

"And we'll help you with your powers," Sam said. "Even though they are something new to us."

"Even though I could hurt someone?"

"Any of us could hurt someone," Harry said sharply. "I know I have. Sam and Dean too. Merlin, Sam just started learning magic himself – that could easily backfire on him."

Sam didn't seem pleased with that statement but he stayed silent.

"I think I understand," Jack said.

"Good," Sam said and he clapped Jack on the shoulder. "One tough conversation over," he looked pointedly at Harry, who sighed.

"I really don't think…" he started to protest.

"Harry."

"Fine," Harry agreed under duress. "I'll talk to him."

"Good. Jack, you and I have something very important to discuss, in any case. Better to not have Harry or Dean around for it."

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"Nutrition. Now. I know that you are fond of nougat and you enjoyed that ice cream, but you need to understand what sorts of foods fuel our bodies best…"

Harry quickly left the room. He had been subject to Sam's "healthy food" talks one time too many. Mostly they had been about the nutritional value, or lack thereof, of whiskey, but that didn't mean he didn't want to hear it now.

He found Teddy in his room, packing things into a duffle bag. "Running away from home?" Harry asked casually, as his godson was hastily summoning what he needed to the bed. "You know, the first time you did that, you were about six years old and you were so upset because you found out that cousins weren't supposed to marry each other and you were convinced that Victoire was your soulmate. It was adorable." Harry smiled faintly at the memory. "Where did that romance go?"

Teddy barely looked at him. "We did date," he said. "In my last year of Hogwarts, but after two dates, it felt like I was going out with my sister and I wasn't keen to continue on the Black traditions of inbreeding."

"Ah, you and Victoire are only distantly related," Harry said. "Like all the wizarding world."

"Exactly. It's gross," in all this time he didn't crack a smile or stop packing.

"So, you're so angry at me that you're packing up and leaving? You know, it's dangerous right now and…"

"I'm not a child!" Teddy insisted for about the millionth time, still paying more attention to his packing than Harry. "And I'm not running away. Dean asked for me to help on the case he's working with Jody. I'm going to meet up with them tonight."

"Hunting?" Harry asked. "Dean asked you to go Hunting? Are you kidding me? I'm going to…"

"You're not going to do a bloody thing," Teddy replied angerly, slamming the shirt in his hands into his bag. "You can't," he said with a bit of a nasty bent to his voice.

"I can call Dean," Harry said, pulling out his phone.

"Oh, you think you can talk Dean outta something he's got his mind set on?"

No, Harry thought, but that didn't stop him from wanting to argue. "Then I'll go with you."

"You can't go with me – you're in more danger than I am. Plus, it's a wizarding thing. You're still pretending to be dead, aren't you? You can't just show up."

"Dean's involved with a wizarding thing?" Harry's surprise won out over his anger. His older brother avoided the wizarding world like the plague.

"Yeah. And they need me." Yes, this is the last thing I need, he thought as he summoned his wand holster.

"Why you? If Dean is hunting something in the wizarding world, we really should get MACUSA involved. I'm sure that Hermione could…"

Teddy zipped his duffle bag closed aggressively. "Hermione's the Minister of Magic, Harry. She can't just drop everything for a hunt. Merlin, have you always been like this? Do you have any idea how much deep water she could get in for being involved with something like this? It could end her political career! Do you even care? Do you know what she's risked for you and the Winchesters over the years? No, you'd best leave Hermione alone."

Harry was taken aback. "Hermione's a grown woman, Edward," he countered. "She is fully capable and able to make her own decisions. She knows that she can say no…"

"Does she?" Teddy asked, looking straight into Harry's eyes for the first time. "When the Great Harry Potter asks for anything, does anyone dare say no? Even a member of the so-called Golden Trio. You're used to doing whatever you want, damn the consequences. Well, it's time that someone says no to you. I'm going to go help."

With that, he angrily brushed past Harry and stormed towards the outer door of the Bunker. Harry presumed to apparate out.

All Harry could do was stand there, a little stunned. He didn't know what happened to Teddy while he was gone, but clearly, something had. He'd have to get to the bottom of it because he couldn't have his godson acting so rashly. He was just a kid and…

"Tough when they grow up, isn't it?" Sam asked over his shoulder.

"He's only fourteen," Harry snapped. "I don't know where he…"

"He's twenty," Sam said. "But the time you were that age, you had won a war and were dealing with things just as dangerous as whatever he and Dean are hunting. If not more so."

"He's so angry," Harry said miserably. "I never would have talked to Sirius that way…" he stopped at Sam's raised eyebrow.

"Wouldn't you have? Don't forget, I remember that summer you spent with us. I had never heard anyone talk to Dad the way you did. Myself included, and I was a mouthy little shit for a bit."

Harry didn't even take the bait of asking when exactly Sam had stopped being a mouthy little shit. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

"Jeez. No. Calm down. Although, kinda. You did pull a disappearing act on the kid."

"I was trying to save you."

Sam rubbed his temples. He felt like he had already had this fight with Harry two dozen times and it always ended with the two of them yelling at each other. Or Dean somehow got involved and it was a Winchester War. He was sick of it. "We know. But sometimes you've got to step back and let someone else do the saving. That's the point of family, isn't it? Look, Harry, I know you're angry. And maybe you've got the right to be. We did what we thought was best and for better or worst it was done. Let's focus on what we can do now."

"I can't do anything! I'm powerless. Mom's lost in another world, Gabriel with her, Castiel is dead, Teddy hates me, and Sirius is trapped with that pouncy git that calls himself the King of Hell!"

"I didn't think that you'd care about Castiel being dead," Sam said. He didn't say it in a nasty way. It sounded like he was genuinely surprised.

"You didn't think – why wouldn't I care?"

Sam gave him a look.

Harry waived him off. "I told you that I'd forgiven him for all that." Maybe if he kept saying it, it would actually become true.

"All that? He killed you. Harry, I haven't forgiven him. I don't know how you could have."

"You haven't?"

Sam's frustration mounted. And so did his sadness. Did Harry really think that they cared so little about him? "Let's go get a beer. I've set Jack up with some Netflix in his room – that should keep him occupied for a bit."

Harry was never one to argue drinking a beer and the mood shift surprised him enough that he just mutely followed Sam.

With practiced ease, Sam pulled two beers out of the bridge, opened them, and brought them over to the table.

"A lot is going on right now, isn't there?"

Harry snorted. "Understatement, mate." They both took a drink from their bottles.

"Dean thinks that Mom and Gabriel are dead."

"And you don't agree?"

"Do you?" Sam countered.

"I don't know what to think. I wasn't there. And you know Lucifer better than I do. Would he have killed them?"

"Is he capable of it? No doubt. But he's stuck too. I know how he thinks. If there is even a small chance that either one of them could be useful to him then he'll keep them alive. And…I have to hope. If I don't then…"

Harry could complete that sentence for Sam. "Alright. They're alive then. But they are still lost to us."

"That's why I want to work with Jack," Sam said. "I think he's the key to getting back there. He opened the rift in the first place – without a spell, just as a baby. Not even born yet." He was excited to have Harry on his side. Dean had been so…lost since it had all happened and determined to believe the worst of all situations.

"It was big magic though. Emotional magic. That also means that it's unpredictable and difficult to control. It's going to take him time to work up to it. And if we push it, it could explode in our faces."

"Most things do," Sam said, his hope dissipating a bit. "You look better. Are you sure that…"

"Yeah. I'm a Muggle," Harry said. "Not a spark of magic. Whatever spell you and Gabriel did bound it up tight."

"He said that when you had healed all the way that it would break itself. Maybe it could still hurt you?"

"Maybe," Harry said. "Not that I care, if it meant we could get Mom and Gabriel back. And that I could find Sirius."

Sam hadn't given much thought to Harry's godfather. After all, he didn't care much for the man who had taken his brother away when he was a baby. His killing Cas didn't help things either. But an idea popped into his head. "You know, we could just call Crowley."

"Crowley has a mobile?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Sam pulled his phone. He put it on speaker as it rang. It didn't take long for Crowley to answer.

"Moose," came a British voice on the other end of the phone. "I was beginning to think you'd never call."

"Crowley," Sam said as evenly as he could. "We've been a bit distracted. What did you do with Sirius Black?'

"Who?" Crowley asked innocently.

"My godfather, you son-of-a-bitch," Harry growled.

"Ah. Dudley Do-Right's there with you. Pleasure speaking with you. I didn't do anything to him. He was my guest for a couple of days but he has since departed."

"Departed," Sam said flatly like he didn't quite believe it.

"Yes. You're supposed to be the smart one, Moose. He decided that he had overstayed his welcome and chose to leave. I advised him that it would be…unwise…considering that he killed your angel lover, but I'm not one to hold someone against their will."

"You're exactly the type to hold someone hostage, you've done it hundreds of times," Sam said.

"The old me, perhaps," Crowley said. "But I've turned a new leaf. I helped you, didn't I? Didn't hear a thank you, either. I can wait."

"Where is he?" Harry said.

"Jesus, how do you stand it, Samuel? Two idiotic brothers. I told you – he left. I didn't have him followed. I presume that he's on his way to you. Now, I am very busy and important, so I must be going." He hung up.

Sam stared at the phone. Harry was on his feet, pacing back and forth, looking a little crazy.

"Harry, calm down. He survived Purgatory and Limbo, I'm sure that he's handling the regular world just fine." There was some coolness to his tone that Harry didn't miss.

"Right. He's been dead for over twenty years, I'm sure that getting used to being alive and completely alone is going swimmingly for him. If you hadn't taken away…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sam said. "But we did. What're you gonna do? Drive the entire country looking for him?"

"No, of course not," Harry frowned. "You've got to do the four points spell," he said, desperately.

"Four points?"

"Yeah. Hermione created it for me for the….you know, it doesn't matter. It's easy. Even for someone as inexperienced as you."

Sam crossed his arms, insulted. He may not be a fully trained wizard or the prodigy that Harry was but that didn't mean that he wasn't capable of performing a simple spell.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Point me," Harry said. "For most people, it only works if you know the person who you are looking for. But you've met him, so…"

"Yeah, I've met him. I'm not a fan," Sam reminded him. "And I don't know whose side he's on. Sounds like he's looking for you anyway. It's dangerous for you to leave, maybe we should just wait for him to find you."

"Wait for… we're in a bloody Bunker that hides me from freakin' angels! How do you think that Sirius is going to be able to find me here?"

Sam hadn't really thought he would, but he also didn't care.

"If you don't try the spell, I will just go out looking for him," Harry threatened. "It's better than sitting here on my arse all day." He knew that he was being dramatic, but this was important. This was Sirius. His frustration was only made greater by the fact that normally when he felt like this something happened. His magic would do something. But there was still nothing.

"Harry, no, I'll try," Sam said, pulling out his wand, and suppressing his eye roll. He may not care for Sirius, but he didn't want Harry to go out on another suicide run. "Point me, Sirius Black," he said.

"No, no, the wand movement is like this," Harry said, showing Sam with his finger.

Sam sighed. "Point me, Sirius Black," he said, repeating the wand movement. Nothing. He tried again. Still nothing.

"Are you even trying?" Harry snapped.

"Yes, I am!"

Harry glared. "Fine. I'm going to go talk to Jack then," he turned and left.

"Harry – wait, no…" Sam followed him out.

III

"Good to see you, Ted," Jody said, hugging Teddy when he met them at the agreed-upon location. He returned the hug, gratefully.

"Right on time, too," Dean said, greeting his nephew. "I'm just going to go pick up some snacks. Want anything?"

Teddy shook his head and trying not to beam at what was basically the warmest welcome that Dean had in him.

"Your loss," Dean headed inside the store.

"How's Claire?" Teddy asked Jody.

"Good, good," she responded.

"Did you tell her?" Teddy asked anxiously.

"Tell her what?"

"About Castiel."

Jody's face was stricken. "Uh – no. I just found out myself. Don't know how I'm going to break the news to her. She's gonna pretend not to care, but…"

"I know. Maybe I can go back with you, after, and help? It's a weird relationship, but I know something about losing father figures."

"That would be nice – but don't you need to get back to the Bunker with Harry?"

Teddy shrugged. "They don't really need me. And I think Claire will need a friend."

Jody felt a rush of respect and gratitude for this young man. He was wiser than he appeared.

Dean came out of the Gas 'n Sip, looking upset. "She's dead," he said.

"Who?" Teddy asked.

"No!" Jody said, knowing exactly who Dean was talking about.

"Missouri Moseley," Dean explained. "She's the one we came here to help. And you know what, she knew it. She, I mean we could've protected her," he clenched his fist in anger and grief.

"Do you want to head back?" Jody asked.

"No. No, Missouri wanted us to save her family. That's exactly what we're going to do."

The three of them drove in relative silence to Missouri's son's house in Atlanta. "Ted, is it safe?"

Teddy did a couple of spells. There were wards on the house, of course, but nothing that would harm someone just knocking on the door.

"Yeah," he said.

"Good. Stay behind us. If anything happens to you, Harry will kick my ass – magic or not."

Teddy frowned, disliking being treated like a child, once again, but this really wasn't his area of expertise, anyway. And he'd be sure to keep one hand on his wand to help the second things got out of control.

Dean knocked on the door. A middle-aged black man opened the door.

"James Moseley," Dean said. "We need to talk."

"Look, whatever you're selling, I'm not interested," the man said quickly and tried to close the door on them.

Dean puts his foot out to stop the action.

"It's about…It's about your mom. Missouri sent us, she's…"

"Dead," Dean said bluntly when he saw the lack of interest in James' eyes. It made him furious. This man had a mother – a kind, wonderful woman, and he had chosen to live his life away from her. When Dean would kill…no Dean would die to be able to have his mother back now.

"Dead," James said incredulously.

"A wraith got her," Dean explained.

James didn't believe him. "Look, whatever game you're playing here, I talked to my mother yesterday."

"She died last night," Dean said. "Nine pm, according to the coroner's office."

The man in front of them looked stunned. "I…No. I…I cut her off."

"James, I need you to listen to me. Missouri sent us because the thing that killed her, it's still out there. It's coming for you and your daughter."

James stiffened. "Patience is at school," he said.

"Ilvermorny, we know," Ted said from behind.

"And she's on her way home now, isn't she?"

"How did you know that? You're wizards?"

"Not all of us," Dean said gruffly. "Just Ted," he said, jabbing his thumb back to point at him.

James looked at them all suspiciously. "You broke the Statute of Secrecy? To Hunters?"

"Wasn't me," Ted said. "And they've both got wizarding family."

"Not possible," James countered. "Hunters aren't allowed…"

"Look, we'll give you our life's story after we've gotten your daughter safe and sound," Dean interrupted.

James nodded. "We can take my portkey."

III

"You're freaking Hermione Granger!"

"Hermione Granger didn't play Quadpot – or Quidditch for that matter."

"It's such a waste," Ronson whined. Patience laughed and threw the ball at her friend.

"Do you have your things? We leave in like five minutes," she said.

"Nah," Ronson said. "I'll catch the next one." She sniffed her shirt and made a face. "I am ripe. Gotta hit the showers, later!"

"Later," Patience said with a shake of her head. Her friend never seemed concerned with time. She smiled as she thought of her summer plans. Finally – she had the opportunity to have the kind of life her dad wanted for her. With a pull in her lower stomach, the portkey activated and took her to Georgia.

The room she arrived in was dark. Which was odd. She felt like there was someone in there with her. "Hello?" She asked.

She walked slowly out of the room and into an equally dark hallway. She opened her mouth to scream as something grabbed her from behind.

Whatever…creature had attacked her slammed Patience against the wall of the hallway and covered her mouth.

That didn't stop Patience, however, who was top of her class at non-verbal magic as she hit him with spells as he attacked. She also kicked him in the groin and punched him in the face, for good measure. For some reason, her stunners were just bouncing right off of him. But one well-placed hex broke off the…thing that was coming out of his wrist. He screamed. She ran down the hall, determined to get help.

He tackled her from behind, throwing both of them to the ground. He sat on top of her so that she couldn't move and grabbed both her wrists to restrain her.

He held up his hand. "This hurts like hell," he said. "But don't worry, it grows back."

A gunshot rang out. Shocking Patience into yelping as the bullet hit the man on top of her in the back. The creature got up and ran. The guy with a gun (a gun, Patience thought with surprise) ran after him.

A younger guy and a woman came to her side.

"You, okay?" The woman asked.

The creature that attacked her tricked the ward on the door at the end of the hallway, locking the gun guy out. He came trotting back over to her.

"I lost him," he said. "Did you get a good look at him?"

"Yeah, uh he um, he tried to stab me with that."

They looked at the spike on the ground. The woman picked it up and looked impressed.

"Wait, you…? Wow."

"Alright, well that thing might come back so…"

"How'd he get past the wards?" She asked, still dazed. "And why would he?"

"We don't know," the youngest one said. He was British, which surprised her. He held out a hand to help her up off the ground. "Might have something to do with this being a Muggle school," he said. "All we know is that he has a taste for witches with the Sight."

"I… No, I'm not… I get déjà vu sometimes but that's normal. I didn't even take Divination! I'm normal." Her father had been against any of the "mental magics" as they were commonly called these days.

"Your grandmother was psychic and she sent us to protect you," the woman said.

"My grandmother said she was psychic but it was just an excuse for her lack of power. She didn't even graduate and didn't carry a wand. She's a fraud. She doesn't care about me, she ditched me. Me and Dad, right after Mom died." It still stung.

The man and woman looked surprised. "Ok, this woman you're describing, that walked out on her family? That's not who Missouri was at all."

"Why do you keep saying, 'was,'?"

III

Harry knocked lightly on Jack's door. Sam stood, disapproving, in the background. Sam could disapprove all he wanted, but even though he knew Sirius his attempt at the four-points spell didn't reveal Sirius' location.

Jack's eyes were glued to the screen. He looked up briefly when he saw Harry at the door.

"Is Ted back?" He asked.

"No," Harry said. "But I need your help."

"My help?"

"Yeah. Can I come in?"

Jack nodded in agreement and paused his TV show.

"I don't know what I can do to help you," Jack said warily.

"I need you to do a spell," Harry said. "It's an easy one – shouldn't cause any trouble for you."

"I – I'm not very good at spells," Jack said, nervous. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that Harry was very intent on this. He didn't know if he could afford to disappoint a second Winchester brother.

"Like I said, it's easy. Nothing compared to the healing you did to me the other day," Harry waved off his concerns.

"How's he going to do the spell without a wand?" Sam asked in an annoying know-it-all sort of voice that Harry swore all younger brothers perfected.

"He doesn't need a wand," Harry insisted. "He healed me without one. Sam, why don't you show him?"

"I couldn't do the spell – what makes you think he could?"

"You couldn't find Sirius with the spell. You don't know him very well. Try it again. This time with Dean."

Sam shrugged. He figured it didn't hurt to try.

"Point me, Dean Winchester," the wand lit up immediately and pointed north but quickly spun and pointed south instead. "Did I do it wrong?"

Harry shook his head. "No. He must have just changed locations. Now, to find out exactly where he is, you'll need to say, invenire locum animae, and move your wand like this," Harry made a motion with his finger again.

Sam copied the movement and the incantation exactly. "Woah," he said, not expecting to hear a whisper that sounded suspiciously like Dean in his head. "Atlanta, Georgia. Grant Park."

"See? Were you watching, Jack?" Harry asked.

Jack nodded. He had seen the structure of the spell but there was a problem. "I don't know his soul," he explained.

"It shouldn't matter," Harry said. "Something to do with angelic grace – I've never needed to know someone to do the spell the way a normal witch or wizard would."

"But the spell revolves around that," Jack said. "It's built into it."

"You could see the spell?" Sam asked, curious. Maybe this had been the problem in the first place.

"The remnants of it, yes. They leave an impression," he looked to Harry to confirm that he wasn't just making that up in his mind.

"They do. Although I've never really seen them, I more feel them. But that probably has to do with the way that I learned magic in the first place. Now, please, Jack, give it a try?"

Jack looked uncertain. Just because he understood the spell didn't mean that he could perform it. It was far more complicated than the paper airplane charm that Ted had taught him. He concentrated. He remembered the form of the spell – the shape and the color. He started to form it in the air – invisible to Sam and Harry. He put energy behind it and as he started to mentally speak the name…it collapsed.

"Try it again," Harry said, encouragingly.

Jack did. This time, it collapsed before he got past the initial thoughts. He tried again. And again.

"I can't!" He exclaimed, finally, stomping his foot. The Bunker shook, making both Harry and Sam have to steady themselves to stop themselves from falling. "Why won't you LISTEN to me?"

"Jack, I'm sorry…"

"No. Jack – you healed injuries so bad that I could barely breathe. This is easy all you have to do is…"

"Harry," Sam said, cutting his brother off. "A word, please. Jack – just relax. Don't worry about it."

Harry could feel the fury rolling off Sam but he wasn't intimidated.

"Sam – this is our ONLY shot at finding Sirius. He's out there, all alone, and he doesn't…"

"It is not our only shot," Sam argued. "There are other witches and wizards out there who can help. We can call Luna. Last I checked she and Charlie were headed back stateside but needed to…"

"Luna never met Sirius! She can't help with this."

"Alright. Fine. Who did?"

"No one who can help," Harry said.

"Ron and Hermione? Any of the other Weasleys?"

"Can't ask Hermione," Harry muttered, Teddy's words still fresh in his ears. But it was more than her political career – he knew that she would do anything for him but then he would have to explain everything. And not only when she then know that he was helpless at the moment (if Molly hadn't already told her) but she would try and get him to talk about his feelings. And he wasn't ready to face those, just yet.

"Look, Harry, you also need to face the idea that the man out there isn't the same one who you knew."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"It's been a long time. He's been through – well, hell, quite literally. I don't know what he was like before, but he didn't seem like the man you've told us so many stories about." Sam tried to put sympathy in his words, but, he felt none towards the man who killed his friend so brutely.

Harry just stared at Sam. "You're bonkers. Of course, he's him. Sirius survived thirteen years in Azkaban. From what you've told me, both Purgatory and Limbo were better than that."

"How could they be, Harry, be…"

"No," Harry said, realization dawning on his face. "This is about Castiel, isn't it?"

"No. Yes, of course. He killed Cas, Harry!"

"So what? You said yourself you wanted to kill Castiel for what he did to me. Sirius just did what you didn't have the guts to do," Harry argued.

"Harry…"

"Well?"

"Look, what Cas did to you was messed up and I was very angry with him – am still not thrilled, but he wasn't the same person that he is now. You forgave him. You just told me that. We were on the same side and what Black did…"

"I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for it all," Harry insisted.

"He's a mad man," Sam said. "The look in his eyes…"

Harry glared at him.

"Let's wait until Dean gets back," Sam pleaded. "Then we can all talk about it."

"Fine," Harry agreed, just to end this conversation.

"Now, I think you owe Jack another apology," Sam said, pointedly. "You're being too tough on the kid."

Harry sighed. Sam wasn't wrong. He shouldn't have placed all his hopes on a child that, although he didn't look it, wasn't even a month old. "I'll smooth things over with him."

"See that you do. I'll go get him."

Sam turned and left the room. Harry sat on the bed. Thinking about it, he was sure that Ron and Hermione already knew about his predicament, and if they didn't know now, they would as soon as Sunday night dinner at the Burrow was over. He still didn't want to get Hermione into trouble. So, even though he felt bad asking her, he pulled out his phone.

3:21pm
Hey Gin, I need a favour. Could you give me a ring later?

---

Oi. This one got a bit long – so much so that I had to cut the episode in two.

I am soooo sorry about Missouri. She didn't deserve it in the show and she didn't deserve it in this fic but I can't keep everyone alive and I wanted to bring Patience in and I didn't see a way to do that without this tragedy.

Harry's a bit all over the place – I know. If he seems like he is changing his mind about a million different times about how he feels please know that is intentional. He doesn't really know how he feels. (I almost put a Content Warning of CAPSLOCK HARRY on this chapter, lol.)

Please note that I moved James to a much cooler (but still rich) part of Atlanta. I don't feel like he would be douchy enough to live where they put him in the show. I have a full backstory for the entire Moseley family that I'd love to flush out someday, but I probably won't. But I think there are some interesting parallels that could be drawn between what is currently happening politically in the US and a story about their family.

As always, thank you all so much for the comments and reviews. I am really lucky to have you all. I will see you next week!