Stranger Than Your Sympathy
Part One - Freshmen Year
Chapter Eight
"What the hell did we do?" Dean hissed at him, cornering him outside of Social Studies. It had been a tense course period. The girls weren't speaking to any of the four of them and Mr. Turner was in a particularly bad mood after having spent half the night helping to reverse the effects of the hex bags they had placed in the Slytherin common room.
"It was just a prank, cher," he tried to calm his friend down.
"Like hell it was," Ash said, joining in with a whisper. "I thought we were going to sell that shit - not use it to try and get Vaught kicked out of school."
"You should have reported it to a teacher," Cas added.
"We freakin' stole it from a teacher, you idiot," Benny defended himself.
"That makes it even worse. What the hell is a teacher doing with an illegal substance where students could reach it?"
That wasn't quite a fair assessment. It had taken Ash's surprising lock-picking skills (which were as good as his hacking ones) to get into the safe that Sinclair kept in his office.
"It don't matter. They have no idea it was us."
"Turner suspects something!" Dean said, almost in a normal voice.
"Old Rufus has no idea," Benny said, "he just knows us Gryffindor's got in a fight at breakfast. You're paranoid, chief. They have no way to trace it back to us."
"What if Jo says something?" Cas challenged.
That made Benny's heart sink a little. He hadn't told his friends, but he had known about the secret friendship between Jo and Vaught for a while. He was head over heels for the girl and had noticed her slipping out from the group every so often. She was careful and if he hadn't trained his eyes to spot her anywhere in a crowd, he wouldn't have seen her meeting up with him in sequestered places.
At first, he had been worried that the Slytherin had blackmailed her. It was out of concern for her safety, he had reasoned with himself, that he had spied.
Of course, the truth was even more terrible than that.
It shouldn't have surprised him that Jo knew him - Harvelle's Roadhouse was a pillar of the hunting community, everyone went through there. But for the life of him, he could not figure out why the hell she would be friends with the creep.
"We're going to be late for class if we don't leave now," Cas said, interrupting the whispered argument that broke out between Dean and Ash about what Jo may or may not do.
Being late for class would not improve the situation and Benny felt a flash of appreciation for Cas. Maybe with more time to cool off this would all blow over. They walked to class in complete silence.
In retrospect, maybe the Demon Blood had been a bad idea. Benny thought to himself as he sat, trying his best to avoid Sinclair's sharp gaze during Sigil and Wards. It didn't help that all of his friends were mad at him.
Sinclair wasn't his usual jolly self either, although he was trying to hide it.
"Now, I know that this morning's…event was distracting, but we have learning to do young gentlemen. And ladies," he said when no one had answered his stupid question about the basic warding to use on any building or room that you were spending a night in.
"Salt lines," Dean answered, reluctant, but Benny could tell that he was still trying to keep up his façade as a teacher's pet in this class. For someone who hadn't grown up with a Council-certified hunter, Dean was easily the most knowledgeable person he knew. As far as he could tell, his friend had barely cracked open a book for any of their hunting-related classes. Benny was good – but his natural aptitude was for the more…magical…side of hunting and the other stuff he didn't know quite as well.
Normally, Benny didn't find any need to compete on any level with Dean. But today, he needed to prove to his friend – and the entire class, that he wasn't an idiot.
"Mais – the problem with salt lines is that any entity with any sort of force could just blow 'em away," he added before Sinclair could compliment Dean. "You gotta so somethin' to make the salt stick."
Everyone looked at him, surprised. He smirked.
"Yes, what Mr. Lafitte was saying, although inelegant, is correct. Mr. Winchester – what do you suggest to ensure that the salt line remains in place in the face of a creature that could simply blow it away?"
Benny tried to not enjoy the look on Dean's face too much. This was still his best friend.
"Uh – I – um – make the line thick?" Dean stammered, not used to be questioned.
"That would certainly help," Sinclair said, although Benny could tell that he wasn't impressed. "But what else – class?"
"Glue," Jo piped up.
Sinclair raised an eyebrow.
"That would damage the property that you're in," Dean shot back, "you wouldn't get your deposit back on that room."
Jo rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about super glue. Simple craft glue, or even double-sided tape, which is easily removed or washed off when you leave would at least make it difficult for whatever is after you to move the salt."
She's brilliant, Benny thought, grinning at the girl. She shot him a frosty glare.
"Inventive, Ms. Harvelle," Sinclair said, "although quite Muggle. Of course, we have better ways of making salt stick. Today we're going to learn about sticking wards and how they can be used when you are on the move. Now, we have to go further back than Latin to accomplish this, there is an ancient Sanskrit…"
Benny tuned him out. He'd fix this. He'd get Jo to see Nick Vaught for what he was. And Dean would get over it. Hell, other than the whole illegal substance part, they had pulled one hell of a successful prank. He wondered if they had found all the hex bags or if the couple that he had planted on his way out would continue to cause…flooding…issues in the Slytherin common room. He grinned just thinking about it.
III
Sam had always enjoyed school.
It was one of the biggest sticking points between him and his father. He thought that both he and Dean should be enrolled in school wherever they went. Dean always made sure that Sam was enrolled but, if he thought it was a short enough time, wouldn't bother for himself.
Hunter home school had seemed too good to be true. Not only was he able to keep up with his peers, he could surpass them by working at his own pace. All of this without having to be branded "the new kid" over and over again. And sure, he missed hanging out with kids his own age but more than that he missed Dean like he was missing an extra limb, but he had a purpose now.
If only John Winchester wasn't such an asshole.
He was pissed that he had figured out his and Dean's plot for Thanksgiving. Sam hated that his dad's look still had that much power over him.
Grudgingly, Sam had to admit that his father was a remarkably good hunter. While the homeschool covered regular topics like Math and History, it also had what it referred to as, "pre-Hogwarts hunting training." There were strict laws about what minors could and could not do, a lot of the training was focused on observations they could make if they happened to see a hunt or the preparation for one.
And John Winchester was by-the-book good.
Sam supposed it was because of his heritage. There had actually been some interesting scientific studies that had been done on the aptitude of people's ability to learn hunting based on their genetics. One of his packets talked specifically about what those from hunting families had that Muggleborns just simply didn't.
Normally, he would call bullshit on it, but then, how could you explain his father? His dad hadn't been brought up in the life and had only spent a single year at Hogwarts, but if Sam were the rate him based on Council Standards of Good Practice, John would be one of the top performers.
One night, when the two of them were cleaning guns, Sam told his dad as much. The two of them hadn't spoken much since John had discovered that Sam and Dean had been plotting behind his back. (Or rather, Sam had been giving his father the silent treatment because he very much wanted to see Dean.)
His dad gave him an amused glance. "Yeah? What do those stiffs got to say?"
"They say that good hunting the genes are like Darwinism. That only the best hunters could protect their kids well enough for them to become old enough to defend themselves. They've used modern science to show that there are genetic markers in…" he could see he was beginning to lose his dad, "…basically, it's passed down. And we're from a long line of hunters. It gives us an advantage – we're just naturally superior."
Sam could see a hint of a smile on his dad's face.
"I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day," he said. But Sam knew he was pleased. "What else do they have you learnin' about? Maybe this "school" is better than I gave it credit for."
He wasn't going to miss his chance. Sam launched into a monologue about everything he had been learning – he had been dying to share it with someone. He only got to talk to Dean for a couple of minutes a week and preferred to hear about life at Hogwarts than bore Dean with the details of his schooling.
For his part, John seemed genuinely interested. He occasionally interrupted the speech by barking an order at Sam to do this-or-that, but Sam didn't even mind.
"It seems like you're really making the most of those lessons," John said, after nearly forty-five minutes, when Sam was finally running out of things to talk about. "It's damn better than the useless nonsense you usually natter about from Muggle school."
There was a time when that would have hurt Sam. Now, it made him glow with pride. He had done something right. He had impressed his father. Previously, he had thought that only Dean was capable of that.
"Soon, you'll be ready for your first proper hunt," he said with a gleam in his eyes. Sam stopped moving. It was illegal, but also, his dad had always made him stay behind and do the research. Was he finally going to give him the chance to prove himself?
"Please!" Sam said. "What are you hunting now? I can help, I can – I've gotten a primer on all the most common kinds of monsters and I've been practicing my aim and…"
"Calm down, kid," his dad said, but there was fondness there, "I'm just relieved you didn't bring up the damn law. Gotta find a hunt first. And we have to start you easy. I think it's far past time that you do your first salt 'n burn. So, next ghost we catch wind of, you're on deck. As long as you do not tell any of those brown-noser government types you're so fond of."
"I won't, sir, I swear," Sam replied, completely sincere.
"That's my boy. Now – get some sleep. Gotta keep that head of yours sharp if we're going to make a real hunter out of you yet."
It was only 8:30. But Sam, for once, didn't want to argue. "Yes, sir, thank you. Goodnight."
John grunted and turned back to his guns and Sam went off to bed with a wide grin on his face.
III
Dean froze Benny out for most of the rest of the day.
But the four of them had been back in the Barracks for twenty minutes after dinner – each sitting on his own bunk in silence, before Dean couldn't take it anymore.
"Ugh. Damnit Benny," everyone looked up at him, "you shoulda told me what we were planting on Vaught, but it was one hell of a prank. And it looks like we're gonna get away with it. Just – don't do it again."
Benny had the grace to look a little ashamed of himself.
"And what was that stuff, anyway?" Dean had been dying to know all day. Ever since they had overheard Jo and Prickolas talking about it this morning.
"I would like to know that too," Cas joined in, looking relieved that they were having this conversation, "you didn't say anything about that to me either when I was helping put together those hex bags."
"Sorry, Cas," Benny said.
"Oi!"
"Sorry, Dean," he added. "Honestly, I don't even really know. Ash was the one who recognized it – I just knew it was illegal."
All attention snapped to Ash, who was sitting on his bunk, messing around with something that looked electronic.
"Demon blood," he said, distractedly.
"Yeah, we heard that. But what is it?"
"Obviously, it's blood from a demon," Cas supplied, looking a little green around the gills.
"Can demons even bleed?" Dean didn't know much about demons. They were super rare – really only one or two popped up a year. In the entire country. He knew that to hunt them you needed a very special license from the Council.
"Their human vessels can," Cas said helpfully.
"But that makes it human blood, doesn't it?"
Cas frowned.
"Don't matter," Benny said, "I think it's like a drug. Like a super dangerous, super illegal drug."
"People – drink it?" Dean asked, horror-filled.
"They sure as hell don't snort it," Benny responded.
"Ugh, ew, gross, why?"
Benny shrugged. "I suppose it gives some kinda high, right?"
"Some people think that it can give you powers," Ash said, more quietly than he normally spoke.
"What kind of powers?" Cas asked, looking as disgusted as Dean felt.
Ash shrugged. "If you're on a hunt – chasing a creature of hell, it's supposed to help. Some people say it can give you visions of the future. Or make you super strong – like bulletproof. Even…even give you the strength to kill a demon outright."
And as gross as it was, Dean could see the appeal. "So, they drink the blood and it makes them…Superman?"
"For a small time," Ash said, "but the effects don't last long. Or, if they do, you need to take more and more of it to keep them up. And eventually, it kills you."
Ah, Dean said.
"How do you know all that, Ash?" Cas asked.
A clouded look passed over Ash's face and Dean could tell that had been a very bad question. Benny could tell too, so before Ash could say anything he changed the subject.
"Point is – I didn't know it was that bad. Thought it might get the fucker some detentions or suspended for some shit."
"It would've been nice to be Prickolas free for a week or two," Dean said wistfully.
"Well, the next time you don't want to deal with Slytherins for a couple of weeks, you need to figure out a prank that makes them stay in their common room, not one that forces them out. You know – I heard that the teachers still hadn't been able to remove all the water." Cas groused.
They were all silent for a second while they considered.
Cas seemed to realize his mistake, but as he tried to verbally back out of it, they all started talking at the same time.
"I didn't mean…"
"You're a friggin' genius, Cas…"
"What kinda hex bag do you think…."
"Naw, not a hex bag, some sort of ward, Dean you know your shit…."
They spent the rest of the evening debating what they could do to trap the entirety of Slytherin house in their common room for at least a day. Eventually, they were all too tired to keep brainstorming but all the hurt and anger between them had vanished and it was replaced with an entire slate of pranks that they couldn't wait to pull.
III
The rest of the week passed quickly. The entire school was still talking about what had happened, and the teachers seemed to be on a little bit more of a high alert than usual, but otherwise, it was business as usual.
Friday night, after classes were done, Dean flopped down on a sofa in the common room where Cassie and Pam were huddled together with Cas.
"I hope you're all up to something fun because this week has been looong," Dean said dramatically, "I thought Singer was trying to drown us in homework. And Ms. Moseley is awesome but if I have to spend one more Wednesday morning doing my best not to sleep during "meditation" practice I'm just going to stop trying to kid anyone and stay in bed."
"Please, Singer's assignments took you an hour – tops," Cassie responded. "That was what – half an hour more worth of effort than you normally have to put into it?"
"Forty-five minutes," Dean quipped back, "but that's forty-five minutes that I'll never get back."
"What do ya spend all that extra time in the library anyway, Winchester?" Pam asked him. "I've seen you speed through everything but math. And I know you ain't struggling that much with it."
"I hear that brainy kids are the wildest in bed – just trying to catch me a cutie," he said with a wink, "if one of you would finally agree to go on a date with me, I wouldn't have to work so hard."
They both rolled their eyes. "Brainy kids are smart enough not to touch you with a ten-foot pole," Cassie teased him.
"Plus, we all know you're already taken – you're head over heels in love with Benny," Pam added.
"Dean and Benny are not romantically interested in each other," Cas finally spoke, participating in the conversation for the first time.
"Anyone tell them that?" Cassie asked.
"It's a tragic case of unrequited love," Dean sighed forlornly. "Although I think if we can get Jo to freeze him out for a couple more months, he might look my way."
Cassie and Pam exchanged a look that Dean could not interpret.
"Could we please focus on the task at hand?" Castiel snapped. Dean figured he was annoyed at not understanding the look either.
"What is the task at hand?"
"Dean!" Cassie chided.
"What?"
Pam gave him a look. "Elections are on Monday. We're doing one last push this weekend."
Dean squinted. "You still running, Cas?"
Cas glared at him. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth, "I finish what I start."
"Why wouldn't he still be running?" Cassie asked with curiosity. "From the poll numbers that Ash has gotten Cas is ahead by five points. That Guy kid is real sleazy. Plus no one wants to vote for a Slytherin except Slytherins. And the only reason anyone is even considering voting for Layla Rourke is because there is a rumor going around that she has a brain tumor and they feel bad for her."
"But Cas is a dork!" Dean blurted out before he could stop himself. He liked the guy a lot but he was hardly Mr. Popular around the school.
"Thank you, good to know I can count on your endorsement," he deadpanned.
"Ah, come on Cas, you know I think you're the best."
"Yes, well, apparently you are not the only one. Now, if you don't mind, the three of us were preparing for my speech tomorrow night. You know – the one I have to make in front of the entire school. Go bother Benny," he said acidly.
Dean felt bad. He had played a big part in convincing Cas to run for stupid freshmen class president so that they could populate as many names as possible on the map. He was still a little surprised that the quiet boy had agreed.
"I can help too, you know," he offered, even though he didn't know the first thing about writing a speech.
The skeptical looks that he got from all three of the other Gryffindors stung, just a little bit.
"Alright, maybe I'm not the best at writing shit. But I'm great at moral support. And, you know the other day on the blue – I mean, when I was exploring the Lighthouse the other day, I found a secret way into the kitchens and I could provide snacks."
"Snacks and moral support? You sure you aren't a Hufflepuff, Dean?" Pam teased him.
Dean huffed and blushed a little bit. "Shut up. Just tryin' to help."
Cassie patted him on the arm. "We know sweetie," she said condescendingly.
With that, the three of them started laughing.
Dean frowned. "Fine. No snacks for you then, I'll just…"
"Dean – please go away," Cas said sounding annoyed until he added, "and bring us snacks."
For a second, he was tempted to refuse, but then he just shrugged and turned to leave. He got all the way to the door when someone shouted out at him.
"Oi, Winchester, where do you think you're going?"
With a groan, he turned around and found Sean, Jody's boyfriend just behind him. "It's almost curfew, man," he said to him, "and it's been a long week – PE was brutal this morning, none of us feel like going all the way to the bottom of the stairs and back up."
"Then let me go alone," Dean responded.
"Jody…"
"Jody ain't here, is she?" he asked, looking around quickly to confirm that the older girl was not in the common room. He hadn't seen her all evening, so he was pretty confident that she was off doing something else. "And it's been like two months, dude. You can't tell me that you're not all tired of this shit."
The look on Sean's face told Dean everything that he needed to know. He was surprised that the upperclassmen hadn't rebelled yet. It was a testament to how much they all respected Jody. Or feared her.
"We Gryffindors stick together and the Slytherins – "
"Haven't done more than shoot me nasty looks since that day. How long was she planning on keeping this up, anyway?"
Sean shrugged and shook his head. "Fine. But if something happens…"
"I'll blame one of the Campbells for not watching me closely enough," Dean finished in a conspiratorial whisper, not wanting any of said Campbells to hear him.
Sean laughed and slapped him on the arm. "Fine, Winchester. Just so we're clear whose fault it is if you get hurt. And don't miss curfew."
Dean gave him a mock salute and feeling freer than he had in ages, he walked out the entrance to the common room.
He couldn't believe that worked. He had been worried that he was going to have to beg Benny to borrow his jacket to shirk the guard that had been following him.
Dean was tempted to do more than just waltz into the secret passageway he had found from the trap door in the floor of the gym. He had been wanting to sneak into town for ages. He was sure that they had a payphone there where he could call and talk to Sam for as long as he wanted. Or, for as long as the quarters lasted him.
But it was a little late for that. And he had promised to help Cas.
The staircase was mostly empty – although not so devoid of students that he was worried about being cornered again. And actually, the more he thought about it, the odder it was that those kids had been able to catch him with absolutely no one around at all.
He hadn't actually used this passageway yet, so he grinned at how easy it was to open a hidden lever in the floor and lower himself into the kitchen. The drop was about ten feet – but it was nothing that he couldn't handle.
Dean was contemplating what to do about the dark of the kitchen when the lights flicked on. He flinched and looked up.
Ms. Moseley had just walked in. She smiled at him as he froze – wondering if he was going to get in trouble.
"Do you really think you're the first student to find his way here?" She asked him, shaking her head. "Have a seat. I was just going to make some hot chocolate. Would you care for some?"
Mutely, he shook his head, still surprised to be standing here, in a place that he was pretty sure was off-limits, talking normally with one of his teachers.
"It's not technically against the rules," she said, responding to his thoughts, "but the second you take food outta here, you are violating the code of conduct."
"So, as long as I just eat food in here, I'm not breaking the rules?"
She laughed in a way that felt like a warm hug. "No, baby, you could eat the entire pantry and still be in the clear. If you were caught, they might make it a rule. However, as a staff member, I am permitted to give you any food that you ask for – so I see no rule breaking 'round these parts." She started moving through the kitchen as if it were her own, gathering ingredients. "What are you waitin' for? Have a seat."
She gestured to a stool in front of one of the large counters. He didn't dare disobey.
"You know, you used to love my hot chocolate," she said, making conversation while he sat there silently, still unsure of what to say. "But your daddy forbid me from giving you more than a cup 'cause it made you bounce off the walls."
"And you listened to him?" She did not seem like the type of woman that would take direction from John Winchester – even if he was being an ass.
She chuckled. "I picked my battles. Your daddy is as stubborn as they come."
Dean grunted in agreement. He thought that Sam may be able to give their father a run for his money. Ms. Moseley hummed in agreement. It was strange – his father was such a sore subject with just about everyone in this school – Bobby included – that he wasn't used to being able to talk about him at all. Not that he wanted to spend time talking about his dad, but it would be nice if casual references weren't met with glares and disgusted looks.
"He's made quite the name for himself, but don't let that bother you none," Ms. Moseley said, "you're allowed to love your father."
The silent, even if he doesn't deserve it, hung between the two of them.
He didn't know if this moment in a warm kitchen itched at some ancient memory of his or if he was just so relieved to hear someone say it, but he couldn't stop himself from confessing, "I can't believe that he kept this all from us."
"Hmmm," she responded, "I reckon part of him wanted to protect you. It's a hard life – that of a hunter. I wish we didn't have a school to train kids up at all, but the reality is that children from huntin' families are gonna end up huntin' anyway, so we may as well teach y'all how to be as safe as can be."
"Do you know why he was expelled?" It was the first time he had just outright asked an adult.
She shook her head. "I wasn't here at the time," she said, "and he was a minor, so the records are sealed. I know there are those who thought him wrongfully accused, and if his daddy had been around, he certainly would have protested. But it was an odd time for the hunting community – for the entire country, really."
Dean couldn't help but notice that she didn't actually say that she didn't know. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. He wondered what it would take to get to the truth.
"You should make yourself helpful – I know that friend of yours is awful fond of peanut butter and jelly. There's half a loaf of bread that's just a day or two from being too stale to serve. I would hate to see it go to waste."
Before he knew it, she was guiding him through the kitchen, picking up different odds and ends that would make for great study/speech fuel. He noticed that it was nothing that would be missed.
With a spoon, she tasted the hot chocolate. "All done! Fetch me those cups over there, won't you? And there's a thermos under the sink. If you leave it with your dirty dishes at breakfast tomorrow, no one will miss it."
He grabbed some Styrofoam cups that were put out on the weekend for all of them to take their coffee out of the mess to wherever they were studying, as well as the thermos, which was large. The two of them filled it up to the brim. Afterward, he helped her clean up the little bit of a mess the two of them had made.
"Good, good. I think it's high time you get back to your friends. Curfew is only twenty minutes away – and I know you don't want to be in any more trouble than you're already in."
Somehow, Dean knew she was talking about the prank he had pulled the week before and he had the good grace to look a little ashamed of himself. But just a little.
"You can leave by the main door – I doubt you want to hoist all that up the ceiling."
She wasn't wrong.
"Thanks, Ms. Moseley," he said sincerely as he gathered his haul. It had been an odd half an hour, but he felt strangely comforted by it all.
"You're welcome, honey," she said.
He turned to leave.
"Oh, and Dean," she said before he could go.
"Yes?"
She hesitated for a second like she wasn't sure if she should speak. But she did. "I know that growing up with your daddy wasn't the easiest. And that him being who he is hasn't made your time here at Hogwarts easy. But you've gotta believe an old woman when she tells you that you've got more people in your corner than your daddy ever did. You are loved. People may not be the best at showin' it, but you're not alone in this world."
He ducked his head to try and hide the blush creeping up on his cheeks. "Don't see any old women in this kitchen," he said, "just another beautiful woman at this school who won't give me the time of day."
She let out a raspy laugh. "Go on, you," she said with fondness.
He did just that.
III
Dean and the rest of the freshmen Gryffindors stayed up late helping Cas prepare for his big speech. Well – most of the freshmen Gryffindors. Jo was still avoiding them all. Dean wondered how much longer she was going to stay angry with them over a stupid prank.
In the end – nothing bad had happened to anyone. As far as they could tell the teachers had ruled that they couldn't prove who did it and determined that it was unlikely that a freshman would feel the need to have a supply of demon blood, in any case.
And with the looming election, the gossip mill moved on entirely as well.
Personally, Dean didn't understand why it was such a big deal, but he was eager (ok – eager was probably not quite the word, but willing, at the very least) to do what was needed to help Cas out.
Before last night, he hadn't bothered to learn much of anything about the class election process at Hogwarts. It's not like anyone in their right mind would put him in charge of anything, nor did he want it.
"Ok, but why does the whole school care this much?" Dean whispered to Benny, while they were sitting in a transformed version of the mess. A small stage had been erected in the front of the room and all the tables had been removed – there were just rows and rows of chairs.
And there was not an empty seat in the room. This assembly was not even required.
"It's a big deal, cher, Cas runnin' like this. Everyone's intrigued."
"'Cause he's a weirdo?" That seemed unfair – yeah, the kid was a little odd, but not so much so that this should be a public spectacle.
"What? No. 'Cause he's the first Muggleborn brave enough to run."
"Huh?"
"Cas ain't from a huntin' family."
"Yeah, I know what a Muggleborn is," Dean snapped, "but I don't understand why this is such a big deal."
"Because it's not done. It's like if they let people born outside of the United States run for President."
"But Cas is American."
Benny sighed. "No, it's not that. He's an outsider. And he's runnin' for political office."
"In school. This is just for Hogwarts freshman class president, right? They're not handing the entire Council over to him. He's gonna what – lobby the teachers for better food and some vending machines? Who the hell cares?"
His friend shook his head. "I forget that you're practically a Muggleborn too. This just ain't some popularity contest. This is – this is making a decision for our entire generation."
"Electing a freshmen class president?" He asked, still incredulous. "I'm sorry, I know this school is filled with the best and the brightest, but it's still just high school."
"High school in a community where we go straight to service after," Benny said, "proving yourself here means a lot for job prospects."
Dean knew that there was a hierarchy of hunters and that how you were classified after school determined what kind of creatures you were able to hunt – when he had first got here, that had been the silver lining to this whole thing. But for all of that to be determined by…a popularity contest among fourteen-year-olds?
Ridiculous.
He was about to tell Benny just that when, "Shh, they're starting," a Ravenclaw that Dean didn't recognize hushed them.
He rolled his eyes but turned to the stage.
"Welcome," Principal Cervantez said to the crowd, looking like a natural behind the microphone. Behind him, the three candidates were sitting, all of them looking very nervous. "I am glad to see such a marvelous turnout to the final night of speeches. It's great that you are all so engaged in your civic duty to this school."
"Final?" Dean whispered to Benny.
"The other classes did the same thing," he muttered back, "you were too busy in the library to notice."
Oh, that made some sense. He had spent most Saturday nights of this term in the library. How lame, he realized.
"We have three very qualified candidates for your consideration tonight. Per usual – voting will take place in your first period on Monday morning. The results of all elections will be announced at dinner that night."
Dean did know enough to know that all students voted for all class presidents. Only the votes from the class that person was running for were counted individually, but, collectively, the votes from the other years were counted as one for the student who got the majority of votes. Those votes could be used to break a tie.
"I don't want to keep you any longer than need be – going in alphabetic order, we will start with Castiel Novak. Castiel – the stage is yours."
Cas stood and there was a faint applause from the audience.
That's not good enough, Dean thought. Benny must've read his mind because the two of them started whistling and hollering like they were at a rock concert. It didn't long for Ash and the girls to join in.
The blush on Cas's face was adorable.
"Thank you," he said as he approached the podium. Dean couldn't help but feel pride. His friend, who usually did his best not to call attention to himself, stood tall and had a calm expression on his face. Determined.
"I am honored to be running for freshmen class president. Before I begin, let me address the metaphorical elephant in the room," Dean snickered a little bit, because the night before, they had to talk to kid into using the expression at all, "unlike my opponents, I was not brought up in this world. My parents are not hunters. But since coming to this school, I have been embraced by many of you and that makes my dedication to our community even greater. I have had the privilege of meeting many of you while I have been running and I want to say that I hear you. Our world is changing – and as such, so is Hogwarts. And while I was not a member of the community before this school year, I see it only as an advantage. I don't carry deeply held prejudices. I both respect the wisdom of the old hunting families for what it can teach us and embrace the fresh perspective brought by those newer to our profession. I vow to consider everyone when making decisions for the betterment of Hogwarts and for the betterment of the Council and our entire community. Thank you."
He stopped speaking and just stared out into the crowd.
Dean was ready for the end of the speech and wanted to make sure that Cas got the applause he deserved. But before he could even put his hands together, loud clapping came from the row in front of him. To his surprise, it was Jo.
She was quickly followed by everyone else in their house and by the time Dean got back to his hooting and yelling the whole mess was filled with cheers.
III
Dean crashed down into his bunk – exhausted from staying up so late last night and spending all day "peopling" trying to get votes for Cas.
He felt good about Cas's chances of winning. Better than he had the night before when he found out that his friend had not dropped out of the race.
There wasn't enough time for him to contemplate that further, because as he shifted to get himself under the covers, he felt something crinkle underneath him. Frowning a little bit, he maneuvered himself so that he was lying on his side.
There was a small envelope with his name written in very fancy handwriting. Underneath it was a black bundle.
Dean Winchester, Paternal-Line Legacy
He stared at it for a moment and debated calling out to his friends, but they had all already shut their curtains for the night. And it was good that he did not because when he flipped it over to open it there was another message in the same hand.
For Your Eyes Only – Top Secret
Even more curious, he tore into the envelope which was made from nicer paper than he thought he had ever touched before.
There was a single card within.
Fall Gathering of the Men of Letters
Sunday
11 pm
On the back of the card, it simply said Library. He looked more closely at the bundle that was underneath the note. Unfolding it, it looked like an old-fashioned black robe – To hide your identity.
His heart was racing. This was the invitation he had been waiting for. And it was so much creepier than he thought it would be.
Men of Letters. He had never seen that name before. Each of the first letters was embossed and slightly raised above the others. MOL.
No.
Moving as quietly as he could – not wanting to wake or disturb his sleeping roommates, he slipped down the latter to his duffle bag, where he kept the files he had stolen from the library the day that he had detention.
He opened his father's file. And there it was right at the top.
Henry Winchester (MOL, MIA)
Yes, he had remembered correctly. His grandfather and been a member of this organization. Which wasn't shocking, but this really was the break he had been looking for all semester.
This was his family's legacy. This was who his father was meant to be – who he was meant to be. Barely able to contain his excitement as he snuck back into bed.
Maybe, by Christmas, he'd have everything he needed to clear his father's name. This had to be the key to everything. He would have thought that this information, and excitement, would stop him from being able to fall asleep, but it had the opposite effect. Dean was filled with more peace than he had felt since he found out that his dad had been expelled in the first place.
III
When he woke up the next morning, it was because the sun was shining on his face.
He sat up, a little startled.
"Dude – you were out," Ash grinned from the bunk across from his. He had his bong out and it was clear that he was taking advantage of the lazy Sunday morning.
"Wha time is it?" Dean asked.
"10:30 my dude. Cas and Benny finally left for breakfast without you."
"What about you?"
"Got all the breakfast I need here," he said, taking a hit of his bong, "plus they promised to bring us up something."
"Why didn't anyone wake me up?"
Ash shrugged. "We figured you needed the sleep. I woulda woken you up before it was time for your phone call."
Right. It was Sunday. That meant that he got to talk to Sammy. Hopefully, as long as John didn't intercept the call again. He had only done it that once, but Dean tried to always be mentally prepared, just in case.
"How's Cas holding up? Tomorrow's the big day."
"Nervous as all get out. But he'll be fine. He took a couple of hits before goin' downstairs."
Cas was becoming almost as big of a pothead as Ash.
Dean got himself out of bed and started getting ready for the day. He debated trying to catch Benny and Cas as they came back up the stairs, but he decided that a little bit of lounging would be nice. He had a lot to think through.
Also, he'd been waiting to get Ash to himself. It had been bothering him since they had overheard the conversation, but he hadn't found the right moment to ask. "Ash – what the hell is up with Jo and Prickolas?"
Ash puffed out some smoke.
"They've known each other almost their entire lives," he said.
"Does that mean you've known him for almost your entire life too?" When Ash came to live with Jo was a little mysterious. The kid didn't like to talk about his past and they had all decided to leave him alone about it.
"Nah. I'd met him, of course, all the hunter's kids know each other, but the two of them would disappear with each other for hours when his daddy brought him around – which wasn't very often. Ellen's friends with his mom. But after he was recognized by his dad, she lost custody of him. I didn't start living at the Roadhouse until after that."
Dean wrinkled his nose. "But she's so…cool…and he's just the worst."
Ash shrugged. "He is now. But maybe he wasn't always. Benny's given me the tenth degree 'bout it. Told him to fuck off."
He laughed. "Yeah – he's a bit obsessed. That upset you?"
"Don't care one way or another, Jo can take care of herself. She don't need anyone's protection – but that don't mean that she doesn't have her blind spots."
Dean supposed that was fair enough.
"Plus, and don't you dare tell Benny this, I think the kid's in love with her."
Now that was very interesting information. Dean was about to ask him about it when Cas and Benny came back into the room.
"Ah, Sleepy Beauty is finally awake," Benny commented.
"Yeah, no thanks to you – what, no true love's kiss?"
"Nah, it's too early in the day. Got you some coffee."
"Better than a kiss," Dean said, hopping down and grabbing the cup out of Benny's hands.
"You can thank Cas, I'd've forgotten."
"Then I take it back – you're not my true love, Cas is. Cas, I love you."
Cas stopped dead in his tracks.
He shook his head. "No, you love coffee."
Dean was too busy savoring it to respond to that while Benny and Ash laughed.
"Have you all finished your Defense essays? I wanted to see if you had trouble with…" Cas changed the subject and Dean let the casual chatter of his roommates take over.
III
"Hey, Sammy," Dean greeted him when he answered the phone.
Sam had decided since he was going to start hunting soon, that this needed to end. "It's Sam," he corrected, seriously.
Dean laughed. "Since when?"
"Since I said so. I'm not a baby anymore, Dean."
"Yes, well fully grown men do love to go around declaring the fact that they're not babies," there was a pause. "Did Dad put you up to this?" His mirth had transformed into concern. Sam sighed deeply.
"No," he didn't feel like giving his brother any more information than that.
There was a brief moment where there was an awkward silence.
"What have you been up to this last week? Still in North Carolina?"
"No. We're in West Virginia now. I found the hunt!"
"Wow, that's great Sam. I see you've been upgraded."
Sam swelled with pride. Darn – damn right he had been. "It's a really cool one. A Crawler." He knew that Dean had never hunted something so deadly before.
"Well life here at school is boring in comparison to that," his brother said. Sam highly doubted that but it pleased him anyway.
"What's happening there?"
"Big election coming up – we're electing our class president. Cas is running – he had to give a big speech in front of the entire school last night."
Sam had read that the elections at Hogwarts could be brutal. But it did seem terribly mundane for a school of hunters. After all, most American high schools had a student council. It was weird to hear that Dean was involved in something that was so…Muggle.
"Cas is one of your roommates?"
"Yeah. He's great. You'll love him, he's practically a Ravenclaw. Big dork." He said this with affection and Sam felt a stab of jealousy. "Brave too. I didn't even realize until last night that he's the first Muggleborn ever to run for class office. Not sure he knew what he was getting into, but he kicked ass."
"And the school is allowing it?" Sam was a little scandalized. He still couldn't believe that they let kids who didn't grow up in the life go to Hogwarts at all. That was bad enough – but to let one of them take a leadership position?
"Well, yeah. Of course. Like I said, Cas is a dweeb but he's also a badass. He's an ace at magic – probably better at it than most of the seniors. And he's got a wicked streak in him that you wouldn't expect, in fact, the other day he did this…" Dean cut himself off, "he did something really cool."
Now it was much more than a stab of jealousy. Dean hated magic. And witches. And… "How did a Muggleborn get sorted into Slytherin?"
This time the pause was suspicious. Like Dean didn't know how to answer that question.
"Hogwarts ain't the same as it was back in Dad's day," he finally said.
It certainly sounded that way. Which was horrifying. Sam wanted to get the best education possible and if Hogwarts was no longer going to be able to provide that… A nasty part of Sam, in the back of his mind, wondered if this was why Dean did so well there. His older brother was a good hunter but school had never really been his thing. Maybe Hogwarts was just easy now.
He struggled to respond. "Well, good luck to him, I guess," he finally came up with. "It's good to hear that Hogwarts has become so…welcoming to diversity."
Dean snorted. "Sure thing, kid. Look, I'm sorry about Thanksgiving. Looks like I'm gonna be stuck at school – Dad won't even sign the permission slip to let me go to my friend Jo's house. But it'll only be a week or two later that we'll have winter break. I'm sure Dad will let me come home then."
Sam had completely forgotten about Thanksgiving – he had been too caught up in finding and now researching his first-ever hunt, and he felt a little guilty. He and their dad would be doing something awesome – something that would actually help people while Dean was stuck at a stupid school.
"It's alright. It's only a couple of weeks different. And maybe this year, Dad will let us hunt with him instead of making us spend Christmas with just the two of us."
"Maybe," Dean agreed, but he didn't sound as enthused as Sam thought he would. Before going to school, Dean had always been ready to go on a hunt. How much had Hogwarts changed Dean? All of a sudden, he was more nervous about Dean coming home than ever before. "But don't knock our traditions – the food here is great, but I can't wait to devour a bucket of extra-crispy with you. I haven't had any fast food since coming here and I miss it!"
Sam rolled his eyes. Only Dean would miss something so disgusting when he was getting fed, if his dad was to be believed, the best food a kid could wish for.
"Well, that's the end of my time, kiddo," Dean said, "I'll fill you in on the election next week. And when I get home I have so much to tell you."
"Stuff you haven't told me already? What are you hiding, Dean?"
His brother chuckled. "You'll see. Say hey to Dad for me and take care of yourself, Sammy."
Sam didn't even get the chance to correct him before he hung up.
Hello readers! I survived March – I can hardly believe that it's already April.
I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I am more motivated than ever to write this story – I have, what I think, are some super fun plot points coming through, and this is really just the prologue for some exciting things to happen further in the future.
The bad news is that writing has gotten slow. When I started writing fics again during the pandemic, it was to cope, and I had nothing but free time. But, unfortunately, post-pandemic life has been busier than ever, and I don't always have the time or bandwidth for this story. So, my updates are going to be sporadic instead of scheduled, as I prefer.
I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and getting a look into Benny's head. Don't be too hard on him for his stalkerish tendencies towards Jo right now. He's only 14!
Hopefully I'll see y'all very soon with the next chapter!