Unfound
Chapter Thirty-Eight
McGonagall had been kind enough to set Harry and the others up in a professor's suite. This one was meant for a teacher that had a family, so they all had their own rooms. Harry wouldn't have minded if she had put him back in his old dorm in Gryffindor tower, but he supposed that would be impractical. He briefly amused himself thinking of what it would have been like if she had tried to put them all in one room. How long would it have taken for Sirius to take a potshot at Castiel? How awkward would the mornings be?
He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the light knock on the door. He looked up when he heard it squeak open.
"Harry?" Hermione asked.
He grinned. "Hermione!" He exclaimed. After briefly hearing what was going on with the political situation in England, he hadn't expected to see her so soon. She looked terrible, not that he would ever say that. Reminiscent of when they were only a week or two out from their OWLs. He got up to hug her.
She smiled and held on a second longer than was strictly necessary. "I've missed you," she said. Few people in the world made her feel as safe as Harry did. Having him there made her feel like she didn't need to hold the weight of the world on her shoulders alone. That she had help. It took everything in her to not sniffle a bit in relief.
"I've missed you too."
Ron cleared his throat. "You two want a moment alone?" he teased.
Harry laughed, let go of Hermione, and pulled his best mate into a hug. "It's been a full three hours since I've seen you last – I don't know how I survived!" Ron just rolled his eyes at him. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. And Hermione, I wasn't expecting to see you at all."
"The motion of no confidence failed," she said. "And they can't hold another one for at least another month, so I have some breathing room. But it was a close thing."
Harry scowled. "I don't know how they can fault you in any of this. Can't they see that these kidnappings are happening all over the world?"
"They think that has to do with the collapse of the Men of Letters as well," Ron said.
"I can't blame the people for being frightened," Hermione said. "I'm scared too. Especially for the children. Ours are on lockdown – they can be at our house or the Burrow and they aren't allowed anywhere else. Hugo pitched quite the fit."
"That kid does have a set of lungs on him," Harry remembered fondly. "Did you two eat? I'm sure that we could…"
Ron and Hermione traded a glance. "We're fine, Harry, and, unfortunately, this is going to be a quick visit," Hermione said.
"When is the last time she ate, Ron?" Harry asked, ignoring his friend.
Hermione huffed and Ron laughed. "You know, Harry, you're got to be the bravest bloke in all of the UK. No one else would dare risk angering Madam Minister like that. And I'm keeping her fed. Mum would kill me otherwise."
"Boys!" Hermione chided. "Are you quite done with this misogynistic discussion of my eating habits?"
"I don't know," Harry joked, "what are the consequences if we continue? Maybe I'm not just the bravest man in all of the UK, but also the stupidest."
Hermione sent a stinging hex at him.
"Ow," he said. "Way to attack the defenseless, Hermione."
Hermione's face fell. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry, I forgot…"
That brought the whole mood in the room down. Harry felt terrible. "No, I was having a laugh, Hermione. I'm totally fine."
"Are you really?" Ron asked with an intensity that Harry forgot he could bring to conversations.
"Yeah. And I think I'm gonna get better. Hey – why don't you both sit down?"
There were a couple of chairs set up in front of a fireplace in his bedroom, where they could all sit.
"How are you really, Harry?" Hermione asked, repeating Ron's question.
Harry took a deep breath.
"Oh, that's good then," Ron said.
"Yeah. That good. Alright, tell me, what did Molly report back to you that has Hermione looking like she either wants to mother me to death or drag me off to the mind healer."
"Mum mentioned some of what happened," Ron hedged. "She was sure that she didn't get the whole story, of course. Also – there's a woman named Donna that she'd like to set you up with?"
"Donna is way out of my league."
"No doubt," Ron said. "From Mum's description, I think I should dump Hermione, move to the States, and marry this woman instead."
Hermione had forgotten how good Harry was at deflecting questions. Ron might have been distracted, but she wasn't going to be. "Harry. We know that you were taken and tortured. That your injuries were so bad that Sam and Dean called in Molly to watch you. On top of having your powers bound by an Archangel, you've also lost your mother and Gabriel. And somehow, Sirius is back from the dead."
Harry winced. Laying it all out like that… sounded bad. "He is," Harry said. "I'm sure he'd love to see you, Hermione. Last I checked he was having a kip, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I…"
"Harry James Potter," Hermione scolded.
"Alright, alright," he said. He sighed and got serious. "I've been better."
Another look was shared between Ron and Hermione. They're just as bad as Sam and Dean , he thought.
"It's fine. I've got Sirius back."
"You do. But that's got to bring up a lot for you, Harry."
"He doesn't blame me for his death," he said, not quite believing it, even as he said it.
"Of course, not!" Hermione protested.
"You don't believe it though, do you?" Ron asked.
Harry hated how well they knew him. "I don't want to talk about it," he said.
Another glance.
"Would you two stop that?"
"Stop what?" Ron asked innocently.
"You know what," Harry said. "Those looks. Like you're talking to each other telepathically."
"Harry, we're just worried."
Harry wanted to snap back at her. But he was tired. And, for once, he didn't feel like he needed to pretend. "I know," he said quietly. "But I know that the two of you, especially you, Madam Minister, wouldn't have trekked all of this way just to check on my mental health."
"Hey! Yes, we would have," Ron argued.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"You're right, Harry," Hermione admitted. "Not that your mental health isn't worth a visit. Ron and Ginny have this harebrained idea that I promised I would propose to you. But, for the record, I think it's rubbish. And you do not need to agree to it."
"Way to really sell it, Hermione," Ron muttered.
"What is it?"
Hermione took a deep breath. "As you know, I'm about as popular as Professor Snape was with Gryffindors right now," she said. "And, I might have passed this vote, I don't expect to pass it again. But – Ron and Ginny think…" she couldn't believe that she was even going to bring this up.
"What?"
"They think that if – if I bring back someone who the British people implicitly trust and that person endorses me, that I will have no trouble hanging onto my seat."
Harry was confused. "That sounds great. Why wouldn't you? Who do you have up your sleeve?"
Hermione and Ron stared at him. He still didn't get it.
"You, you idiot," Ron said.
Harry gaped at them for a moment – opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "Oh. Me?"
"Yes, you, who else could we possibly suggest? Did you think we were talking about Sirius? Or Dumbledore?"
"I – I, I didn't know. I wasn't – I wasn't much of anything before I died."
"Oh, Harry," Hermione said sadly.
"Mate, I think the whole country when through a nationwide depression after you… after."
Harry didn't believe that for one second but he knew better than to argue the point. "If you think that it would help, of course, I'm happy to come out of hiding to help you, Hermione. Although, it might be a bit difficult to explain the resurrection."
"Do you really mean that?" Never in a million years did Hermione think that it would be that easy. She thought that she was going to have to argue and cajole. (Or someone was going to have to – probably Ron or Ginny, she wouldn't've done it.)
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? You're my best friend, Hermione. And it's a small enough thing."
Hermione felt a surge of gratitude. She had been in politics for too long. She had expected, despite knowing him better than that, for Harry to argue with her, or demand something in return. But, of course, he didn't. He was better than that.
"It's not a small thing," Ron said, with a frown. "You really need to think about this, Harry."
"Wasn't this your idea?" Harry asked.
"It was! But I thought…I thought it was a long shot. I didn't think you'd just bloody agree!"
Harry shrugged. "I figure it was just a matter of time, anyway," he said. "If we can make that time work to help keep Hermione in office, why wouldn't we?"
"Harry, I love you," Hermione said.
"I know," he smiled softly back at her. She silently shook her head.
"Dean made you watch Star Wars, didn't he?"
Harry just grinned back at her. The two of them burst into laughter.
"You two are bonkers," Ron said.
III
Really, Kevin? Crowley found himself thinking and he looked up the setup that he needed to cross. That little nerd had really staged quite the coup here in Hell.
Not only were Crowley's most loyal unable to find the former prophet, but he had also lost half a dozen of them in the search. So many that the King had to descend his throne and go himself.
Now, standing in front of him were jumbled-up letters. He had to wrack his brain to remember the scene ( did that nerd really think that I didn't watch The Last Crusade? he thought to himself). But, of course, he loved the movies, although he believed that Indiana would have required a deal with someone like him to achieve all that he did.
And it wasn't as if he wasn't aware of the Latin Alphabet.
Jehovah starts with an 'I'.
Carefully, he took a step. Then another. Eventually, he made it across the room. Point – Crowley, he thought.
He pulled open the door on the other side that then clicked open.
He peered inside and groaned. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Point – Tran.
That gave him six and the kid ten.
But Crowley was nothing if not persistent. So, he kept going.
III
"Hey," Dean answered his phone.
"Hello, Dean," Castiel responded.
"Hmmph."
Castiel sighed to himself. He should have known that his friend wasn't going to understand.
"Who is it?" Castiel heard Sam in the background.
"Cas," Dean said, putting the phone on speaker.
"Hey, Cas," Sam greeted, sounding far less grumpy than his older brother. "How's Hogwarts?"
"It's incredible," Castiel responded. "I've never seen anything quite like it."
"I know, right?" Sam said with enthusiasm. "You probably haven't had much of a chance to explore yet, but I know you're gonna love it. Ask Harry about meeting the centaurs. Oh, and about the Forbidden Forest in general. Also – have you seen the Giant Squid? I hear that it's lived…" Dean cleared his throat. "Uh – it's cool."
"I have enjoyed it so far," Castiel said. "Gabriel – he did something to this place. It is truly safe. I was a little surprised that I was even able to get past the wards. They're that strong. I think it was just because I was with Harry."
There was silence on the other end.
"Is there a reason you called, Cas?"
Castiel frowned. "I thought you would like to know that we arrived safely. And…this isn't like when I took Kelly into hiding. We don't have to not talk."
There was another slight pause. "Thanks, Cas," Sam said. "We appreciate that."
Castiel could tell that he meant that. "And I thought you'd both like to know that Sirius Black hasn't made any more attempts on my life."
"He better not have!" Dean growled.
"I do not believe that I am in any danger from him."
"Good."
More silence.
"I will keep you updated on Jack's progress," Castiel said.
"Great, thanks," Dean said. "Just – watch out for yourself there. "
"I will."
"Bye, Cas," Dean said and hung up.
III
It was early morning when Harry gave up on sleeping and decided to go on a walk on the Hogwarts grounds.
He wasn't sure if it was jet lag or anxiety, or a mix of both.
Ron and Hermione had stayed late with him, the three of them chatting. Harry truly appreciated that it never felt like anytime had passed when they saw each other. It made him reflect on the true meaning of having siblings.
It wasn't that Sam and Dean were lesser than Ron and Hermione, but they were infinitely more complicated. Things just weren't easy with them. But maybe that was family.
He loved being back at Hogwarts. This was his home. And – somehow, he could feel Gabriel here. He never had before but he remembered how his friend had talked about the Hogwarts Founders and he couldn't help but think that maybe he had helped build this place.
Harry hoped that he would get the chance to ask him someday. Hopefully, the Archangel would be able to tell him about it without the unnecessary details.
He couldn't explain it, but he truly felt like Gabriel was alive. The two of them had a connection. And while Gabriel was not someone responsible enough for Harry to feel like he was a father figure, he wondered if Jack had a similar connection with Lucifer.
Sam and Dean had seemed to have the impression that the less they talked about Lucifer, the better. Harry wasn't sure that it was the best strategy.
He had ended the night with Ron and Hermione with the conclusion that they would all think about how it might be best for him to come forward again. He wanted to consult his brothers, although he felt like he could hear their arguments in his head.
Absolutely not, Dean would say. What, are you a crazy person?
Sam would be more measured. Harry could see his little thinking frown – very similar to the face he had made when they were kids. I'm not sure that's the best idea, Harry, he'd say.
Yeah, do you want even more targets on your back? Aren't all the angels and demons enough for you? Dean would interrupt.
Harry chuckled to himself. They (imaginary or not) had a good point.
More than anything he wondered if this would create an even bigger wedge between them. And that was the last thing he wanted.
What was best? Helping his best friends – his brother and sister in all but blood, or keeping Sam and Dean safe?
He didn't know the answer. He might never. But the number of people who knew about him was growing and he didn't see how it would stay a secret forever. He was a little surprised it hadn't gotten out already. That was probably only because he spent most of his time in the United States.
Wandering the grounds was comforting. Even though it was summer, it had gotten cool enough the night before that there was a thin layer of frost on the ground. And the morning air invigorated him. He pulled his wings out and flared them a bit to get the full benefit of the morning breeze.
Then Harry froze.
His wings. He could feel them!
He flapped them a little, lifted himself a couple of feet off the ground, and floated. Harry let off a whoop of joy.
That was incredible. He tested them a little more and found that while he had full access, using them hurt a little. Like he was using muscles that had been atrophied. Merlin, even the ache caused by using them was the best feeling he had ever experienced.
While he walked and let his wings loose, he didn't even notice that he was walking in a very specific direction. It wasn't until he stood directly in front of it, that he realized that his body had brought him to just in front of Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid.
He saw smoke rising from the chimney and assumed that his friend must be home and already up and about with his morning chores, even though the sun had only just risen.
Harry caught himself resisting the urge to go to the door. It had been so long. He missed Hagrid. Although his time in Heaven was slowly dulling in his mind, he remembered having long conversations with his parents about Hagrid and realizing that he had never given the man the appreciation he deserved.
Hagrid had been Harry's number-one fan from day one. And his loyalty had never receded. Not when the whole world (and school) turned against him.
If he was going to start telling people about him, he may as well start with Hagrid. Just as he was working up the courage to knock on the door, Hagrid came out.
The half-giant didn't see Harry as he came out, humming. He hadn't changed much. His hair was more gray than black now, Harry supposed, and his movements were a little stiffer. He had something in his hands – a bucket maybe and he looked very occupied carrying it outside, never looking to where Harry was standing as if frozen.
Telling Hagrid was a risk. The man wasn't exactly known for being able to keep a secret. But Harry also couldn't stand the thought of him finding out in whatever stunt that Ron and Hermione might cook up.
Slowly, Harry started to close the gap between himself and his friend.
"Hagrid," he said in barely more than a whisper.
The half-giant paid him no mind, his humming continuing. He must not have heard him.
"Hagrid!" Harry said a little louder.
He turned. "I didn' think anyone would be awake at this time o'day," he said, bemused. Then he saw who it was. "No, it can' be," he said, stepping back.
"It's me, Hagrid," Harry said.
"Harry?"
Harry grinned. "Yeah."
Hagrid looked like he didn't know what to think.
"It's really me," Harry's voice caught in his voice a little.
Hagrid shook his head. "No," he said, tears starting to form in his eyes. "Yeh're dead."
"I…er, I was. But, um, I got better?"
"Harry," he repeated.
Harry nodded.
Before he realized what was happening, Hagrid came crashing towards him, and he was completely enveloped in the man's arms. He was shaking and crying. Harry just returned the hug.
After what felt like an entirety (and with significantly less air in his lungs) Hagrid let him go. "Wha' are yeh doin' here? How is this possible? Yeh know, I don' care. 's freezing out here, why don' yeh come inside fer a cuppa?"
Unbelievable gratitude filled Harry. All of a sudden, he was that eleven-year-old who had just been completely accepted for who he was for the very first time. And he had to hold back his own tears. "I'd love that, Hagrid," he said. "And I'll tell you all about it."
III
"So, you finally found me," Kevin said. Crowley had just finished the (tenth) obstacle course set out by the little nerd and he was both incredibly impressed and extremely annoyed at how long it had taken him to get here. "I'll let you know, I won't come easy," he said, with a hard voice.
Crowley looked around the room. It was set up like a teenager's bedroom – with some insane scribbles on the wall that he assumed were meant to be some sort of protection. Kevin himself was sitting at a large desk, in a gamer's chair, with a damned computer on it, no less. How had he gotten one of those down here? Crowley didn't let his surprise show, of course.
"Kevin, Kevin, Kevin," Crowley said, "Why do you think I harness any ill will towards you?"
Kevin looked at him like he was crazy. "Uh – 'cause you tortured me, tried to kill me, told me you killed my mom, and now, even after Chuck released me from the Veil, I somehow ended up here?"
Crowley tsked. "But I didn't actually kill you or your delightful mother, did I? And what's a little torture between friends? Has anyone harmed a single hair on your head since you've been here?"
Kevin gave Crowley a suspicious look. "No. But that's because I've outsmarted you," he said smugly. "I've been hidden."
"Do you think I've spent this whole time looking for you?"
"Yes. No. I mean, why would you? Why did you look for me?"
Crowley took a step closer to the kid.
"Stay back," he warned, holding a…water gun.
"Really, Kevin? Do you think that would fool me? You have no way of getting Holy Water…"
Kevin pulled the trigger, spraying the demon in the face. "Ah!" Crowley called out. "How the hell did you…"
"I've got my ways," Kevin said. "Now, you've gotten past my first line of defense. But I know you're coming. You won't get past my second."
"Your sec…" before he could finish his sentence, he felt something pull at his gut. Without any other warning and in a great deal of pain, he found himself at the front of the series of rooms he had come through to get here. "Bugger," he said. Kevin – 12. Crowley – 9.
III
Harry quickly lost track of the time that he was spending with Hagrid. There had been no shortage of tears, reminiscing, or, when things got very serious, a switch from tea to something a bit stronger.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Hagrid said.
The door opened carefully. On the other side was Jack, who looked uncertain. "Hello," he said, using his usual gesture of waving at the person he didn't know. "Harry – Teddy thought that I would find you here. He sent me to get you for dinner. And he wanted to remind you that you could no longer keep up with your friend's alcohol tolerance."
Harry glanced out of the window. The two of them had talked straight through lunch and now he could see dusk. He had entered the hut at dawn. "Teddy's quite taken with telling me what to do these days," he said to Hagrid.
Hagrid laughed good naturally. "All the young tykes get tha' way. Don' take it too hard. Yeh weren' any different."
Harry supposed that was true. "Jack – I'd like you to meet my very first friend, Rubeus Hagrid, Hagrid, this is Jack."
"Harry's told me a lot 'bout yeh," Hagrid said, a bright smile on his face. "Yeh've not had an easy time of it, have yeh?"
"I – uh…"
"'Course I understand, having a parent tha' other's think make yeh monstrous. Me mom was a giantess. Don' yeh worry about it, Jack." He clapped the young man on the back. Which would have been enough to knock most people over, but not the son of Lucifer. "Sturdy aren' yeh?'
"Yes," Jack said. "Were you really Harry's first friend?"
"He likes to say so," Hagrid said. "Don' think he gives Ron and Hermione enough credit."
"He was, Jack," Harry insisted. "He's the one who told me all about the wizarding world. He saved me."
"Oh. My first friend like that was Ted. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hagrid."
"That's Professor Hagrid," Harry corrected.
"Just Hagrid will do," Hagrid said. "Not a professor anymore, in any case."
"No?" Harry asked.
"Retired," he said. "Though I still substitute every once an' a while. Love seeing the kids."
"You retired here?"
"Can't think o' a better place to retire than Hogwarts. It's bin me home fer too long to want to leave."
"I couldn't agree me," Harry said. "Maybe I'll retire here myself, someday. You joining us for dinner, Hagrid?"
The large man shook his head. "Nah. I have some creatures in the forest tha' I need to get tending to. But yeh be sure to come back 'n see me."
Harry grinned. "You may come to regret it."
"Never," Hagrid said. "But nex' time, yeh can bring the whiskey."
"Deal," Harry said. He and Jack went to leave.
"And Jack?" Hagrid called after them. "You don't be a stranger either. I'd love to sit 'n have a proper chat."
Jack looked surprised and then pleased. "Yes, I'd like that," he said. "Should I bring whiskey too?" He frowned. "Harry, where do I get whiskey? Do you have a secret stash here just like you do in the Bunker?"
Harry coughed a little and turned red. "No."
"You don't need to bring whiskey, Jack. You're a bit young to be drinking, in any case."
"Alright. It was nice meeting you!"
The two of them left as Hagrid waved.
III
It took Crowley longer than he would admit to anyone to figure out his way through Kevin's next set of obstacles. He had to admit that the kid had a better handle on popular culture than he did.
He especially didn't appreciate the Legends of the Hidden Temple gauntlet. He preferred the true classics.
But he wasn't about to be outsmarted by a child that he was hundreds of years older than.
Kevin narrowed his eyes when he saw the demon enter again. He looked ready to do whatever he had done before to make Crowley leave, but this time, Crowley was more prepared.
He held up a white flag.
It wasn't much, but it was enough to make Kevin hesitate. "Why in the world would you surrender, Crowley?"
"Because I'm not here to hurt you, no matter what that addled mind of yours seems to think."
"Yeah, well, if my mind is addled, it's thanks to you!"
"I know, I know. But I'm not here to cause you any harm."
"You said that already. And I. Don't. Believe. You."
"I would hardly expect you to. It's why I brought this," Crowley showed him the very precious object that he had brought with him.
"Is that?"
"Yes," Crowley said.
"How do I know it's not a fake?"
"You don't. Never trust anyone – I thought I taught you that. But I'll give it to you if you give me five minutes of your time. If you want me to get lost after that, I'm gone. I'll never darken your doorstep again. And, for as long as I have any sort of power here, I won't let any other demons do so either."
Kevin looked like he was considering.
Cautiously, he got up from the gaming chair he had been sitting in like it was a throw. He quickly snatched the object from Crowley, before skittering back to his chair.
Crowley didn't move a muscle.
"This is real," Kevin said.
"It is."
He considered. He was already in Hell, and he was well protected. He didn't know what game Crowley was playing, but he was sure that it was a game. "Five minutes. Then you leave. Forever."
"Deal," Crowley said, his eyes glowing red.
III
Dinner was an easy affair.
It seemed that everyone was more at ease at Hogwarts. Sirius certainly was. He told Harry that he had spent the day visiting his old haunts and had even taken the time to visit and pay his respects to Dumbledore.
Teddy had spent his time showing Jack around. Despite both their best efforts, they could not convince McGonagall to let Jack use the sorting hat. Ted was sure that his friend was going to be a Hufflepuff, like himself. Harry was less sure but didn't want to hear Dean's reaction if the kid turned out to be a Slytherin. (Much like Harry had when he was eleven, Dean had based his entire opinion on the house on Voldemort and Draco Malfoy. He thought even less of them than Harry had.)
McGonagall had said that Jack was much too young to be sorted and that he was welcome to come back when he was eleven years old, provided that he got his letter.
Harry had snorted at the thought of Jack, as he was now, standing with a bunch of eleven-year-olds about to be sorted.
"Nightcap, Harry?" Sirius asked when they were done eating. McGonagall had excused herself earlier and had left the rest of them to their desserts.
Harry had been about to agree, but Castiel stepped in.
"Actually, Harry, I was hoping to show you something in the library," he said seriously. He had spent the dinner listening to the conversation and contributing little. Although he had seemed happy enough.
Sirius prickled. "Then I guess we're all going to the library, then, aren't we?"
Harry repressed a groan. "No, Sirius, I'll be fine," he said. "Get some sleep. Make sure that Jack and Teddy don't get into too much trouble. I'd prefer that the castle still be standing when we leave here."
"You're putting me on babysitting duty?" Sirius asked, incredulously.
"I'm not a baby!" Ted protested.
"I am," Jack said, helpfully.
"If that'll work," Harry replied. "I know that you don't trust Castiel, Sirius, but I do."
"How can you possibly…"
"Because my brothers trust him," Harry snapped.
"Didn't they trust him before he murdered you?"
"He didn't…Merlin Sirius, I'm sick of arguing with you about this."
"Then let me come with you," he said.
"No," Harry said. "I am an adult, Sirius, I don't need…" he stopped himself short.
"Don't need what, exactly?"
"I don't need supervision."
Sirius glared. "How do I know that he didn't do something to your mind to make you think that it's alright to go off with him? And then, without Sam and Dean here to stop him, he make any attempts on your life again?"
"I wouldn't do that," Castiel said, with a frown, getting a little tired of the attacks on his character. Hadn't he shown that he was trustworthy by now? This man continued to insult him. He had literally stabbed the angel in the back and he hadn't said so much as a bad word about him.
"He wouldn't," Jack said. "He's good, like me."
Sirius looked like he was about to say something about Jack's goodness, but he was silenced by looks from not only Castiel and Harry, but Teddy as well.
"Fine," he conceded. "Come on, kids, I'll show you the best part of the castle. Jack, have you ever met a house-elf?"
Jack shook his head.
"Oh, you'll love them," Ted said. "And the Hogwarts house elves are the best. You know, my Aunt Hermione made sure that they were being treated fairly. They don't work for money – that was offensive to them and she said "culturally inappropriate," but they do…"
Harry indicated with his head that he and Castiel should leave the situation while Ted had Jack's and Sirius' attention.
The angel followed him.
"Where are we going?" Castiel asked as they headed in the opposite direction from where he knew the library was.
"I know a shortcut," Harry said. He led Castiel to a tapestry with a door behind it. It took them to a door behind a painting just a couple of steps from the entrance of the library.
Castiel looked impressed. "That was useful."
"Yeah, you try having Hermione as a best friend, and you'll learn the fastest routes to the library rather quickly," Harry said. "Half the time when we couldn't find her, this is where she was."
"I can imagine that your time here was quite enjoyable," Castiel said.
"It was. Mostly. What did you want to show me?"
Castiel led the way into the library. "I spent my day looking around the castle. I hope that someday we have a chance to ask Gabriel about it, but there was one spot, in particular, that was calling to me."
They weaved their way to the back of the stacks and into the Restricted Section. Castiel moved the rope that kept students away without a care.
Which, Harry supposed, was normal. He laughed to himself and Castiel gave him a questioning look. "I'm nearly forty years old – at least based on what my birth certificate says, and I still feel like we're going to get in trouble for going back here with a professor's permission."
"I was under the impression that all the books in this library were for student use," he said.
"Most are," Harry said. "But Hogwarts is the safest place in all of wizarding Britain, so many books that are considered dark or dangerous end up here for safekeeping. I'm actually surprised that there are not more people in the castle. Often, in the summer, researchers come from all over the world to use the library." He frowned a little, realizing that he was going to have to ask McGonagall about that.
"This isn't just the safest place in wizarding Britain," Castiel said. "I think this is the safest place on Earth."
"How do you know that? Is that something that the angels say?"
Castiel shook his head. "No, this place is so safe that I imagine there are very few angels that know about this place at all. It seems like Gabriel took more of a page out of Lucifer's book than I ever knew. Lucifer had his vaults where he stashed away secret information. I should have expected that Gabriel was a bit cleverer. There isn't even a rumor of what I found hidden here today."
Harry was intrigued. Castiel took him to a shelf that he had never stood in front of before. (Not that this was shocking – he really hadn't spent much time in this place over the years. He wasn't sure that he ever would have ever spent anytime here as a student if it hadn't been for Hermione.)
"Can you feel it?"
Harry could. But… "What is it?"
"A sign," Castiel said. "A guiding light. Touch there," he indicated to a book. Harry touched it. Nothing happened.
Castiel frowned. "Try again."
Harry did. Nothing happened. "What's supposed to happen?"
"This," Castiel did the motion that he had been showing Harry and the bookcase simply – vanished.
"Woah," Harry said.
"Just wait and see," Castiel said, he indicated that Harry should enter.
Which he did.
Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this.
It was as if he was no longer in Hogwarts at all. Or in Scotland. Or in Northern Europe.
The bricks on the walls were sand-colored and shaped differently than the ones that made up the castle. The entire room was balmy and just slightly humid. After a couple of steps, Harry realized even the floor was different. The tiles were a richer color than the walls, a red clay, from the first look.
The front of the room had great big stone tables with very uncomfortable-looking stone benches that were covered in brightly-colored cushions. Just behind the tables, there were bookcases. Rows upon rows. But there weren't books on them. They were…
"Are those scrolls?"
"Yes," Castiel said.
Harry knew that scrolls had been the traditional way of putting information together for the wizarding world, however, they had been replaced by books at a later date. He assumed that Hermione would know exactly when and why, but he didn't know.
"And you think Gabriel put this place here?"
"I know he did. It's why I'm surprised you couldn't gain access."
"Well, Castiel, my powers are still a bit on the fritz and…"
"This isn't about your powers. And don't think I didn't notice how healed your wings are. You'll have to tell me about that later. I'm surprised because I spent a good amount of time looking at the protections in this room. Only an angel under Gabriel's command would be able to open the door."
"You think I'm under Gabriel's command?" Harry asked, bemused. "He'd like that, wouldn't he?"
"Yes, he loves you quite deeply," Castiel said as if it was just an obvious fact. Harry ignored that comment.
"Then how were you able to get in?"
"I – I suppose that Gabriel drafted me into his service," Castiel said. "Although I didn't quite realize it at the time."
Harry snorted. "And how many other angels do you think he has under his command?"
"Until just now, I would have said two," Castiel said. "But he must see you as an equal. Which is…unusual, to say the least. Now, I would say that there is one. Me."
"Alright. Well – other than the cool décor, what makes this place special?"
Castiel looked annoyed. "Harry – those scrolls, do you know where they came from? The knowledge they contain?"
Harry shook his head.
"These are scrolls from the Library at Alexandria."
Harry looked at them with wonder. "The first school of magic?" He remembered Gabriel showing it to him. And, upon thinking back on it, this room did look very familiar.
"Not only the first school of magic," Castiel said, frustrated that Harry didn't understand the significance of this find. "It contained knowledge from the very first witches and wizards – former angels. The knowledge here…it's invaluable. It is for the best that we don't speak of this place to anyone except those we trust the very most. Harry, this library could contain everything we need to not only get your powers back but also help Jack master and control his."
"That's great!" Harry said. "Where do we get started?"
"No, Harry, you still do not understand," the bitch face that Castiel was giving him was enough to rival any of Sam's. "You know that the Library at Alexandria was destroyed by angels?"
Harry did remember the battle. He didn't know that it had been about the library. He had thought it had been about Gabriel and the school. And he had thought… "it was a demon battle, wasn't it?"
"No. Well, yes, but they were coming for the knowledge here. This library and the knowledge in it had to be destroyed before they could get their hands on it. And the wizards with any inkling of it had to be destroyed."
"Why?"
"It was said that, under Gabriel's tutelage that the wizards figured out the secrets of Grace. How to give it, how to take it, and how to create it."
"No," Harry said. "If Gabriel knew how to create Grace then…"
"He knew something," Castiel said. "What he did to your powers…"
"But Sam did the spell."
"Yes, he did. At least, that's what it looked like. This knowledge in Lucifer's hands? Under the control of demons? Do you know what it could do?"
"I really don't," Harry said.
"If I'm right, if the rumors were true, with this information, angels could be created. Witches and wizards too, I suppose. And even more than that, they could all be destroyed. Every last one of them."
"Well, fuck," Harry said.
"Indeed," Castiel said, satisfied that he finally got it. "So, you understand why this place must remain a complete and total secret. You cannot speak of it outside of these walls. If we want to share this information with Sam and Dean, we should bring them here to tell them. Otherwise… if anyone, and I mean anyone, with the slightest inclination to use this knowledge for leverage or power…"
"Everything could be destroyed," Harry said. He took a deep breath. "Alright. I guess it's group project time. Where should we start?"
III
"You're joking," Kevin said.
"I'm not. When have you ever known me to have a sense of humor?" Crowley responded.
"You joke all the time. They are dark, twisted, horrific jokes, but they're still jokes," the former prophet responded.
"Alright. I'm also a liar, but I'm not lying about this."
Somehow, incredibly, Kevin found that he believed him. He was sure that he was losing his mind. The reason he was here was because of Crowley. Not the being dead part, but rather, in his own little special isolated part of Hell.
He had been shocked when Chuck had released him from the Veil that he had gone down instead of up.
Kevin had done more good than bad in his life. And if the Winchesters could be sent to Heaven over and over again with the blood (even if the blood was unintentional) he didn't understand what lucky star he was born under and landed him here.
"If you want to free me, why did you send me here in the first place?"
"You think I sent you here?" Crowley asked. "Me? God himself released you from the Veil and you think that little ol' me had the power to send you here? I'm flattered, really, Kevin, but as exalted as I am, I am no match for God. Or Chuck, if that's what he is calling himself these days."
The amount of time that Kevin had had to think had been astronomical. Which meant that he had thought extensively about what landed him here. And how. At the end of the day, he had to think that it was because he was an enemy of the King of Hell and that Crowley had brought him here to torment him in death in the way that he had while Kevin had been alive.
His whole worldview was collapsing. Or Crowley was just a very good actor. "Why, then?"
"I haven't a bloody clue," Crowley said. "But I want to correct it. You don't belong here, Kevin. Although you have built yourself quite the impressive home," he said, looking around at the space. "How'd you manage to hide so well anyway?"
Kevin shrugged. "I've read the Demon Tablet," he said.
"The Demon Tablet?"
"Yeah. It had more than the trials on it. A lot of drivel, actually, boring side notes, but there were lots of information about how Hell was built. I just tapped into the network and, well…" he gestured.
"You truly are a genius, Kevin," Crowley said. "I mean it. And you know that I don't like admitting when anyone is smarter than me. It took me weeks to find you and you've bested me more than once. I do not doubt that you could again."
"I could," Kevin said with confidence. "But I still don't understand why you, of all people, would close the Gates of Hell. You want to shut yourself down here? You hate it here. I might not get out much, but I know what the other demons say about you. That you would rather spend all your time on Earth."
"Darling, we would all prefer Earth," Crowley drawled. "The demons grumble about it, but it's because I restrict who gets topside. Even after the gates were opened, I made sure that we kept the percentages…low. Can't have everyone up there. It would have destroyed all of humanity."
"Isn't that what you want?"
"What? No?" Crowley narrowed his eyes. "If all of humanity were destroyed, how would Hell ever gain more power? We need humans. To make deals. To do terrible deeds that land them here. And you've met demons. We're not just terrible, twisted versions of humans, we're also, as a whole, dull. I can't imagine anything worse than a world with no humans to corrupt."
That all rang true to Kevin. It was horrible but so was Crowley.
"Then why slam the doors now?"
"Because I'm done with it all," Crowley said. "I want more than this. I can't go back to being the King of Hell. And I certainly cannot accept being anything of lower standing."
"You…want to die? There are easier ways to accomplish that, you know. One, spend a little more time around Sam and Dean. Or piss one of them off."
"I excel at taking the piss out of Sam and Dean. They love me. They could never kill me. And no, I don't want to die. How pedestrian do you think I am? No, I want so much more than that."
"How can you have so much more if you're stuck in Hell for the rest of eternity because you've shut the gates?" Kevin was getting frustrated and close to cutting Crowley off and going back to his quiet, boring, afterlife.
"I'mnot going to be stuck in Hell. Did you forget the third trial?"
Kevin blinked. "No."
"Yes. After I free you – which, by the way, you've not thanked me for yet, I'm going to accomplish the greatest feat to ever be done. I will go down in history books. I will never be forgotten. The demon who cured himself. And when I'm human again, I'll go light side. No more dastardly deeds. I will be a model citizen, someday, a very long time from now, I'll go to Heaven."
That cinched it for Kevin. It all made sense to him now. It was madness, of course, and he wasn't even sure that it was possible. But he supposed that the Tablet hadn't said anything about the person who underwent the trials having to be human. Nor did it specify who they had to cure. It was crazy enough that it might work.
Kevin kind of wanted to see that.
"Ok," he agreed. "But if you fuck me over – you'll never be rid of me."
"I would expect nothing else." Crowley inclined his head towards the door. "It's just, there's just one little thing I'd like from you. It's not difficult and it won't hurt you or cost you anything, especially once you get upstairs. You do this one tiny little thing, and you'll be on your way."
Kevin's stomach flipped. He should have known there was a catch. There always was with Crowley.
"Come on, Kev, for old time's sake."
"What is it?" He asked tiredly. Crowley told him. Surprisingly, the King of Hell wasn't lying. "Alright," he agreed. He was tired. He wanted peace. And what Crowley was asking for in exchange was well worth it. "Let's start here," he said getting up from his chair and leading the demon over to a desk stacked full of papers. "How's your Aramaic?"
"It's practically my mother tongue," Crowley said, looking far more pleased than Kevin ever wanted to see him.
"Good. You're gonna need it. Now, first, you have to consider…"
Ok, I lied, one more chapter before a small time skip. I forgot that I added this chapter after the fact, lol.
As you can see, things are beginning to ramp up a bit. I couldn't resist bringing Kevin in for just a little bit. And once I realized that Hagrid and Jack would be in the same place, I knew that they would be fast friends.
More to come about Gabriel and Hogwarts coming - I've had this one planned for soooo long.
Happy Holidays all! Thank you, as always for the comments and reviews. I will see y'all next week - and everyone in the US - stay warm!