Stranger Than Your Sympathy

Part One – Freshmen Year

Chapter Ten

Castiel won in a landslide.

He had a sinking feeling that this was only because of something that Dean did. Somehow, even in the anxiety of the election, he had noticed that his friend had been acting strangely.

He seemed to be looking over his shoulder at all times. And, it may have been his imagination, but the glaring daggers that he thought would be aimed at him after the announcement that he had won seemed to all be coming at Dean. It was almost like when they had first started and half the school had hated his friend just for the sin of who his father was.

This was all confirmed when, that night when they had all returned to their room when Benny cornered Dean.

"So, why don't you tell us all about it, chief?"

Castiel's eyes snapped up from the floor where he was sitting across from Ash – assuming their normal position for a smoking session – to Benny, who was doing his best to appear casual as he leaned against the bunk beds.

Dean, who had just gotten to the room, froze.

Stopping just short of the practiced movement of lighting up, Ash looked between them. "What's he talking about?"

Dean's face went blank.

Castiel's stomach dropped.

"What did you do, Dean?" He asked, feeling too dizzy to stand up and confront Dean like he felt he ought to.

"What makes you think I did anything?" Dean asked defensively, wearing a mask that he had long since dropped around his roommates. It was the face that he reserved for the bullies of Slytherin, which told Castiel almost everything he needed to know. Suddenly the dizziness turned into nausea and he was having trouble breathing. He should have known that he couldn't win on his own. It was all an illusion. He was the same social outcast he had always been and now was the time that the other shoe would drop and…

"Hey, buddy, breathe," Dean was crouched next to him – Castiel hadn't even seen him move across the room. "Come on – deep breath."

Castiel pulled air up through his lungs and let it out when Dean talked him through it. Finally, the room that had been spinning out of focus was clear again.

Without a word, Ash handed him the bong and he took another deep breath.

Ah, he thought, as the drug began to take effect.

"Did you cheat for me?" He asked when the courage came to him. "Because it's not too late. They won't have the swearing-in ceremony until next week, I can always drop out and…"

"I didn't cheat," Dean said.

"You can tell us the truth," Benny said, taking the bong from Castiel's hands and taking a hit himself.

"I know!" Dean snapped. "I didn't do anything."

Everyone looked at him.

He caved. "It was more about what I didn't do."

That didn't make any sense.

"You can just say, Dean, I won't be mad," he said. And he meant it. He knew that Dean's heart was in the right place, even if it felt like the more popular boy was pulling a prank on him. It was cruel, but Dean did have an occasional mean streak – Castiel would just be sure to stay out of his way in the future.

"I didn't!" He insisted. "Look it has to do with…with that group that I've been trying to learn more about."

"The Men of Letters?" Ash blurted out.

Dean turned bright red. "Shhh," he said urgently, "don't say the name out loud!"

"Why?" Benny asked.

"Just – look, I'll tell y'all all about it, but not now. Not here."

"Where?" Castiel wondered, wondering if the pot had gone too far to his head.

"I – Pam mentioned that she's got a way off of campus. I don't want to talk about this anywhere near the Lighthouse. I don't know how, but I know that they have been watching us."

"I know weed sometimes makes people paranoid, dude, but you haven't had a hit yet," Ash said.

"Oh yeah, well…"

The two of them bickered for a couple of minutes but Castiel's mind wandered. Maybe because the drug had finally had its desired effect on him, but also because he had an uncanny ability to know when someone was telling the truth. He had no idea why it was, but his whole life, he had always just known if someone was lying. Of course, the truth could be situational.

"Do you promise that you didn't rig the election for me?" He basically whispered but loud enough that it stopped whatever point Ash was making passionately to Dean and made all three of his roommates stare at him.

"I promise," Dean said, looking him straight in the eyes.

Castiel believed him.

"Not that I wouldn't have," he continued, looking a little wild in the eyes. "Like I said, man, I have a lot to catch you all up on, but I just – I couldn't go through with it. Damnit, all this Gryffindor goodness has rubbed off on me or somethin'. It's almost as if I actually belong in this house."

"Of course, you belong!" Castiel said. He had no doubt in his mind that Dean was possibly the bravest kid in the entire school. "I just – I can't believe I won." It really began to roll over him. He was the freshman class president. The school had voted for him. If he hadn't already been sitting, he was pretty sure that his legs wouldn't have held him up for the revelation.

""Course you won, man," Dean clapped him on the back. "We never doubted you."

"He's right brother," Benny added. "The only reason that you wouldn't have won is if this whole damn thing was rigged. And seein' as you're a Muggleborn an' all, I didn't think that the powers that be woulda allowed it."

"Oh they didn't want to," Dean said darkly. He seemed to immediately regret his words. "I promise, I'll tell y'all all about it this weekend. Between the map, Benny's magic jacket, and Pam's know-how, we'll figure it out. And I'll tell all."

"You better," Benny muttered.

"Now, I believe that you started without me, so I get a double hit, pass me that," Dean joined them on the floor and grabbed hold of the bong.

III

Dean was waiting for the other shoe to drop. After the announcement that Castiel had won made it through the entire school, he was sure that the wrath of the Men of Letters was going to come crashing down on him.

Nothing made him more nervous than going to Wards and Sigils with Sinclair on Wednesday morning. It was the first class that he had with the teacher after the announcement and he knew enough about the Men of Letters to be worried about what being on his bad side might mean for him.

He slinked into the class as closely behind Benny as possible to try and avoid Sinclair's gaze.

"I know my ass is fine, cher, but I didn't consent to you touching it," Benny teased him when they sat down.

"And just what are you accusing me of, man?" Dean asked in mock horror, forgetting his nerves for a moment. "Copping a feel? I would never. When you finally forget your annoying crush I expect all ass grabbing to come with full and enthusiastic "yes.""

"Gentlemen, if you are quite done," Sinclair interrupted before Benny could respond.

"Sorry," they said at the same time.

"Quite alright," the teacher said shortly. "Today, gentlemen - and ladies, we will deviate slightly from the syllabus. So far, we have only spoken of ways of being on the defensive against those who would do us harm. I wouldn't usually broach this topic with freshmen, but with a student such as Mr. Novak becoming our new President - congratulations are in order, of course, Mr. Novak, I feel that it is also important to teach you how to protect yourself from those you think you can trust."

He very pointedly did not look at Dean who did not miss the double meaning behind his words. He did his best to school his face completely neutral.

"What does this have to do with me?" Cas asked, without raising his hand.

"Why, Mr. Novak, you are the first Muggleborn President of any class at Hogwarts. Because you were raised…" he seemed to stop and consider his words, "outside of the life you may not realize the importance of your position. Not to blame you in the least, of course! But you may have people who seek your favor for political gain."

Cas looked like he was about to argue, but before he could, the teacher continued.

"Today, class, we are going to learn how to protect ourselves from those who may lie and deceive us."

Dean could practically feel the heat from his friends' stares and he knew that they suspected that this had something to do with him.

He sunk down in his seat a little bit, confirming their suspicions.

"Any ideas of how we might go about this? Hmm?" Sinclair asked, looking around the room, his eyes lingering on Dean for just a moment.

Castiel raised his hand.

"Mr. Novak, wonderful."

"There are supernatural artifacts that might be able to help." He seemed to hesitate as Sinclair raised an eyebrow to encourage him to keep talking. "I've heard of…Gabriel's Horn of Truth," he said.

"Oh?" Sinclair looked delighted. "I didn't think that your curriculum covered angelic items yet."

"Angelic, like the angel Gabriel?" Jo asked incredulously as Dean snorted. While he was learning a lot here at Hogwarts, he knew one thing for sure. There were no such things as angels.

"There's no such thing as angels," Dean voiced, even though he had vowed to himself that he wasn't going to speak in class.

Cas's face crumbled for a moment and Dean felt a stab of guilt.

"Is that so, Mr. Winchester?"

He blushed. "Yeah. If they existed you'd think that they would've done…I don't know…anything."

"We are not here to discuss theology. Mr. Novak - you were saying, the Gabriel's Horn of Truth. Would you like to explain to the class what that is?"

"It's an instrument that God gave the Archangel Gabriel that forces hu - people to tell the truth."

"Indeed it is, according to legend. Praytell - where did you learn of this miraculous object?" There was something in Sinclair's eyes that Dean didn't like. He had never looked at Cas with that much interest before.

"I - uh, I'm not sure. I'm sure I read about it somewhere."

At least I can tell when Cas is being truthful, Dean thought at his friend's obvious lie. Sinclair looked like he might question Cas more, but decided against it.

"Well, indeed, a mythical Horn of Truth - angelic or not - would indeed help find out if someone is being truthful. If you could locate such an object at all. But there are other ways to deceive other than lying. Any idea how that could be warded against?"

The conversation continued, but Dean wasn't paying much attention. He was watching Cas, who looked pale.

He tilted his head slightly at Benny as if to ask, Do you know what that's about?

Benny shook his head slightly.

He thought about writing a quick note to Cas, but Sinclair put an end to that. "Alright, get into pairs. With someone not in your house. I want you to brainstorm on this topic and come back with your best ideas."

Dean shoved it all to the back of his mind to focus on the matter at hand.

III

Dean spent the week walking on eggshells.

He was sure that the Men of Letters would have taken their revenge.

But nothing had happened besides a couple of withering stares from Slytherins (and that was so normal that he wasn't sure that it was related to the election or just their normal hatred) and the one uncomfortable class with Sinclair.

It was actually making him a little crazy.

There was no way that there would not be consequences but it seemed like they were going to take their goddamned sweet time with it.

He tried his best not to think about it too much. He only had this week before all of his friends would be abandoning him and going to their respective homes for Thanksgiving. Of course, they had all invited him to join them. Ash had even offered to forge his father's signature on the permission slip to leave, but going to another family's Thanksgiving felt like a betrayal to Sam. He couldn't bear the thought of him having a nice dinner when his baby brother would be stuck with a bucket of extra-crispy and a drunk father.

It didn't help that his friends kept asking leading questions trying to get him to tell them what had happened. However, as a Winchester, there was at least one thing that he had been taught from an early age and that was how to keep a secret.

Friday finally rolled around and as his friends started heading back to the Lighthouse, Dean hung back a little bit to force them to slow down.

"Dean – we have mid-terms to study for," Cas said, his patience with everyone, especially Dean, having waned as the week went on.

"Not tonight, we don't," Dean said with a winning smile. It's not like he wanted to waste a Friday night studying anyway. They had all weekend. "Benny, did you bring it?"

"'Course. Can't wait to see what you've got cooked up."

"Follow me," he indicated his head around the back of the classroom building. To anyone watching, it would look like the four of them were heading to the beach, which would be pretty normal for a Friday afternoon.

"You two have been exchanging secret looks all week, what's this all about?" Ash asked on the way.

"I ain't got a clue," Benny replied when Dean didn't. "He just told me to bring my jacket after lunch today. He's a man on a mission."

"A mission to what? Get us expelled?" Cas asked, still grumpy.

"I would never!" Dean protested. "I thought y'all wanted to hear what happened with the election."

"And you thought behind the classroom building would be the best place to tell us?" Cas griped, "You claim the dorm isn't safe enough why would…"

"Patience, Cas, of course I don't think it's safer here. But, I had a little chat with Pam earlier this week and she told me…yeah, right here." He had followed the girl's instructions exactly and he was rewarded with a shiny piece of silver that reflected the setting sun. Reaching down, he pulled up.

"What's this?" Ash asked, looking excited. "I don't think it's on the map."

"It isn't yet, but it will be," Dean said, "this, my dudes, is our ticket off the grounds."

"Freshmen aren't allowed," Cas frowned, "at least, not in our first semester. Which will be over in exactly four weeks so I don't know why we would risk…"

He was right. For their first semester, freshmen were strictly not allowed to leave the Hogwarts grounds. The place was expansive, so this wasn't an issue for most of them, seeing as there was so much to explore, but Dean wasn't used to staying in one place for so long and he was beginning to itch to get out, so he was grateful for the excuse.

In the spring semester, they would get their first official trip to the town – Faybridge. They would continue to have chaperoned visits through their sophomore year. Juniors were trusted to go on their own on weekends while seniors could even make the trek on weeknights - as long as they were back by curfew.

"Ah come on, Cas, you're always the first to go for the bong and that's against the rules too. Live a little," Dean interrupted him a second time. Dean dug into his bag and pulled out a flashlight. There was a small set of stairs that led down from the wooden hatch he had just pulled up and he started heading in.

"It won't even matter if you cheated to get me to win, at this rate, we'll all be kicked out before winter break," Cas muttered, but Dean just ignored him.

They found themselves in a small room that held landscaping tools that were covered in cobwebs. Dean was guessing that, back in the day, this was just a tool shed, but they had obviously built something better and this place was all but forgotten. Except for trouble-makers like themselves, of course, because it was impossible to miss the cigarette butts and graffiti on the lights. "Be sure to close that behind you," Dean instructed Cas, who came down the stairs last. When he closed the hatch it became pitch-black, except for the beam of his flashlight.

"What is this place?" Ash asked with wonder.

"Dunno – but look," Dean shone his flashlight to the right of where they had come down the stairs. There was a metal staircase, leading up to a closed door. "According to Pam, if we had taken the staircase down from Heaven, and followed a series of hallways, that's how we would get here from the Lighthouse. But I thought it would be way easier to get in this way. Normally this door is warded, but I spent like, three hours yesterday afternoon undoing them. Thought it'd be easier to sneak off this way."

Ash and Benny looked impressed. So did Cas, a little.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Cas asked, annoyance giving away to curiosity.

"Uncle Bobby's house was boring and so he used to set up elaborate warding traps for Sam and I to dismantle to keep us busy and "out of his business" when Dad dumped us there for a long summer. So, see, this is practically a staff-sanctioned activity."

"You gonna tell us what happened here?" Benny asked, looking around.

"Nah – we're still on school grounds and I don't trust those sons-of-bitches not to have this place bugged somehow, we're going this way," he shone his light towards a wooden door.

"You're sounding more paranoid than me, man," Ash pointed out.

"Well, I learned it from the best, come on, follow me."

Dean had been down here a little bit ago, so he knew the door would open, but he hadn't gone exploring beyond that, so his heart raced with excitement. He believed Pam, but it was another thing to be here with his friends actually doing something so expressly forbidden. Honestly, he had caused far less trouble here than he had at a number of his other schools, so it felt natural and like he was more himself than ever.

For the first couple of minutes, they walked in silence, all of them taking in the leaky metal walls and the faint clicks of their shoes on the metal sheets laid out as a path.

"Why do you think this is here?" Cas asked. "It seems like a bad idea to have a tunnel that leads off the grounds next to a school filled with hunter's children."

"Maybe it's for emergencies," Ash suggested. "What if there was some sort of attack on the school? This would be a quick way to get us all off the grounds."

"Who would attack a school?"

Benny snorted before Dean had a chance to. "Hunters got plenty of enemies. You think Ash is paranoid? The most paranoid parents don't send their kids to Hogwarts at all because they think it's dumb to put the most vulnerable of us all in one place."

"But that's why it's so well warded…" Cas said, sounding like he didn't even believe himself as he spoke.

"So well warded that a freshman was able to get past 'em all and into a secret tunnel that leads to town?' Ash asked. "Our Dean's exceptional, of course, but if anything, I'd think this was a security risk."

"Who cares?" Dean asked. "I don't think there is anyone out there 'bout to attack a school. First, they'd have to get to the island, and access is strictly controlled."

"Still seems like an unnecessary risk," Cas said. "We may not be dangerous marauders looking to harm kids, but that doesn't mean that there are others out there that wouldn't take advantage."

No one had a response to that.

Eventually, they made their way to the end of the long tunnel, with another door straight ahead of them. Dean gave it a try and it opened, no problem. They stepped out and Dean took a long breath of the cool Fall twilight. It felt like freedom.

"How much further to the town?" Cas asked, anxiously, looking down at his watch. "We only have two and a half hours until dinner."

"Not much further," Dean said, "but we don't need to go all the way. I just want to see the city, I think it's just over this hill."

Sure enough, there was a hill that blocked their view of anything directly in front of them and a path leading up it, including some dirt steps.

It took them a couple of minutes to get there, but once they did, it was completely worth it.

In front of them was a small town, much smaller than Dean had imagined. The entire place seemed to be mostly made of a single street with shops lining either side of it. He could see a path from the main street down to a harbor that had a couple more buildings and small sailboats anchored. At the top of the street was a single steeple of a church. The whole town was lit up and looked more charming than the backwater that his father had described to him.

"Wow," Benny said, "I've heard about Fay Bay, but I didn't really think it was like they said." Fay Bay was the student nickname for the only part of the island that was inhabited other than the school. It was mostly comprised of a couple of farmers, fishermen, and an artist colony. All of them were either retired hunters, civilians who had seen too much to return to normal life, or descendants of one of those two groups.

"It's beautiful," Cas said, taking in the view.

The four of them sat at the top of the hill, a little ways off the path, in case there were any seniors wandering to or from the town.

After they had a couple of minutes of enjoying the view and just being in each other's company, Dean began to talk.

"I have so much to fill you guys in on."

All the attention turned to him.

"The Men of Letters?" Cas asked. For once, Dean was able to keep his wince at the name at bay.

"Yeah. It's worse than we thought. It all started with a note that I found in my bunk a couple of weeks back…"

Dean went into detail about everything. The secret meeting – the plot to elect the Slytherin, and the quill that he was given. Finally, he told them how he had snapped the quill in half and given it to Cervantez.

There was a moment of silence before Benny whistled.

"Man – if there was ever any doubt of which house you belonged in, that's gone, that was mighty brave of you, Dean. Stupid, probably, but brave."

"Suicidal, even," Ash added. "You went directly against them? Dude – you may not want to come back after winter break."

Dean puffed his chest out. "No way am I gonna let some prissy sons-of-bitches keep me away from school."

"They're more than a secret school society, you know that, right Dean?" Benny asked.

"Yeah. I got that. I've done my research. And I think that not only did they get my dad expelled, but they're the reason that he's never really been accepted by hunters in general. I always thought that it was just that he was too much of a badass for other hunters. Not a team player. But if they really have all the control and influence that we think they might, it's more than that, isn't it? And, as far as I see it, gettin' Cas in as our president is the first step."

"First step in what?" Cas asked, speaking for the first time.

"First step in bringing them down."

This time, Ash gave him a look like he was insane.

"That's a tall order, brother," Benny said. "And we're only freshmen. What makes you think that we can do that?"

"We can't. Yet. But we're the smartest guys in our year. Maybe in all of Hogwarts. With Ash's hacking skills, your social connections, and Cas's new political power, we'll find a way." And then, once we do, Dad will have to be proud of me, Dean thought to himself. That's how this had all started for him, of course. Getting justice for his father. Who was a hero and had been dealt one bad hand after another. "You in?" He asked.

They all glanced at each other.

"Of course," Benny said, with only a beat of a pause.

"I'm all for bringing down The Man," Ash responded.

They all looked to Cas.

Who sighed. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" But they could all tell that he was just putting on a show. "What's the point of being the first Muggleborn class president if I don't use my powers for good?"

Dean laughed, relieved, even though he was pretty sure that his friends would his back.

"Awesome. And, Cas I've been thinkin' 'bout what you said in the tunnel. You know, about marauders."

He cocked his head. "You mean people of ill intent looking to pillage the school and hurt all who live there?"

"Yeah. Them. But cooler, right. Marauders – that's what we'll be."

"Marauders," Benny tried the sound of it before his face split in a grin. "Yeah. I like it. Sounds like we'll be up to no good."

"While actually doing real good," Cas said.

"Good, it's agreed then," Dean said. "We, The Marauders, will do whatever it takes to bring down the Men of Letters. And maybe cause some trouble along the way."

They exchanged looks before they all burst into laughter.

Before they headed back, his friends peppered him with questions, and by the time they were making their way down the hill and back into the secret tunnel back up to school, it was solidified. They didn't know all it was going to take, but they would be together through it all. No matter what.

III

"Ah, cher, don't look so sad. It's only for a long weekend," Benny tried to cheer him up as Dean watched all of his dormmates pack for the Thanksgiving break. It was going to be five whole days of him being stuck in this damn room all by himself while his friends went home to their families.

"You're not the one stuck here with the Campbells," Dean shot back. He had found out that hunters loved Thanksgiving and almost everyone was going home for the break. That is, all hunters except for the Campbell family. Apparently, it was a "family tradition" to remain at school for the entire term and holidays. "What kind of friggin' family has that many damn kids and doesn't want them home for the breaks?"

"Have you met the Campbells?" Cas asked, sarcastically. He was getting better at that. "If I were their parents, I wouldn't want them home either."

"Ah, Cas, you're just bitter because of what Mark Campbell said to you in the mess," Ash said. "You don't need to listen to those jerkwads."

"What did Mark Campbell say to you, Cas?" Dean asked, his heckles raised.

"It doesn't matter," Cas mumbled. "But they're annoying. Are you sure you don't want to use Benny's jacket and sneak out? I'm pretty sure I could talk my parents into buying you a last-minute plane ticket to come with me to Chicago."

They all turned to stare at Cas.

"What? I don't always follow the rules." He didn't sound like he believed himself. Dean marveled at how much Cas had changed in just a couple of months.

"That must'a been one hell of thing Campbell said," Benny remarked.

"It wouldn't be me breaking the rules anyway, it'd be Dean," Cas pointed out. "I'm class president now, I have to at least appear innocent."

"Oh, so now you're part of the conspiracy to get me expelled," Dean teased. "And nah, man, it's alright. I think it'd be more trouble than it's worth. But I hope that all your turkey is dry as hell."

"Turkey ain't the best part of Thanksgivin' anyway – can't wait to get some of my maman's cookin' way better than the slop they serve us here."

"I like the food at Hogwarts," Cas frowned.

"It doesn't have tha' je n'ai sais quoi of proper Cajun food. Can't wait to have some flavor for once."

"When he gets back, his accent going to go back to so thick that we can't understand a word coming out of his mouth. Gonna need a translator. You got any family coming back to Hogwarts with you?" Dean quipped, for a moment forgetting his misery and enjoying ribbing his friends.

"Hardy har. You keep that up and I won't bring you back any of Mama Lafitte's cookin', and then I'll be the one laughin'."

"Oh no – I won't get food that's been in a Tupperware container after half a day of traveling," Dean said with mock indignation.

"She makes one hell of a pecan pie, so joke's on you," Benny said, zipping up his bag, grabbing it by the handle, and rushing out the door.

Dean just stood and stared as Benny left, unable to argue before his friend left the room. Ash went next, tapping Dean on the shoulder. "Bad luck, man. I'd bring you some of Ellen's but I think that Jo would tell her it was for a Winchester, and…well, it's liable to be more spit than filling, if you know what I mean." He followed Benny out.

"I would offer," Cas said, as he slung his backpack, "but my mom doesn't bake. If Dad or I place in the Turkey Trot, we get a pumpkin pie and they're usually not very good."

"Thanks for the thought, buddy," Dean said, "but I'm sure that they will have something here. Have a safe trip."

Cas nodded and left.

And then there was one, Dean thought.

He tried not to be too morose as he climbed up into his bunk. He really didn't feel like going out into the common room which was likely going to be filled with Campbells.

16 days.

There were just 16 days left in the term, and then he'd be on his way back to Sammy. And his dad. He could make it 16 more days.

III

"And just how do you think you're going to stop them?" Missouri asked Bobby, her hands on her hips. "Honestly, it's a small miracle and a true testament to his house that he hasn't asked the questions that have made him figure it out already."

Bobby sighed. He hated it when she was right. Dean truly was a Gryffindor. He was sure that Sam would have figured out the truth about Mary Winchester within the first couple of weeks of coming to campus. Even if he followed in Dean's footsteps into his mother's house.

The two of them were walking back from the dock where they had seen the students departing for Thanksgiving.

"I'm just worried," he sighed. "Don't know how the kid's gonna take it." He gave her a side-long look.

She glared back. "Ain't none of your business."

"You haven't…seen anything?" He asked.

She smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow," he commented.

"That's not how it works and you damn well know it."

"I know that you know more than you're sayin'. Don't try 'n bullshit me, Missouri," he responded angrily. Missouri was being particularly stingy when it came to telling him anything about Dean's future. And he knew it wasn't just him either – he and Carlos had shared a whiskey two nights earlier and the principal had groused about how Missouri was refusing to share.

"The two of you are incorrigible. At his age, would you have liked a psychic spilling all of your secrets to your family?"

"Carlos and I are hardly his family. We're his teachers." He didn't even believe himself as the words came out of his mouth. Until John had pissed him off and stopped bringing the boys around, he had started to see the Winchester boys as his own. Still did. Thinking that he had lost them forever was part of what had motivated him to come and teach at Hogwarts this year.

Missouri just shook her head. "Wouldn't wanted me to tell them neither," she said. "And that boy could use all the family he can get."

"But the Campbells? Bit extreme, ain't they?" Damn good hunters, but Bobby didn't have much patience for them. They were famously insular – refusing to work with any other hunters. They only begrudgingly sent their kids to Hogwarts. Almost all hunters were paranoid assholes but the Campbells took it to another level. Bobby would kill to get his hand on their legendary library but they did not share.

"No more extreme than the Winchesters," Missouri said.

Bobby had to give her that. It was a wonder that Dean made friends as easily as he did, considering that he came from two of the most notoriously unfriendly families in their world. He didn't even know if the Winchesters had a legendary library, they were so tight-lipped.

"Maybe I'll see if Carlos will give me permission to take the kid for Thanksgiving. That'd keep him away from the brood of 'em."

"I thought you and Rufus had an appointment with a bottle of Johnny Walker."

She wasn't wrong. "No reason I can't do both."

"You need to let him be a child, Bobby."

"That's what I'm trying to preserve," he snapped back.

"Don't you take that tone with me," she responded with an equally harsh voice.

He had the grace to look down. "Sorry, Miz," he muttered.

She softened. "I know you've got his best interests at heart. But he's gonna find out sooner or later and sooner may not be so bad. He's already proven that he knows how to tell right from wrong. He's a strong one, our Dean."

"Family's just so important to him," Bobby said, sharing his worry. "I don't know how he'll avoid being pulled into their bullshit once he knows."

"I think he's already found his family. Have faith, Bobby."

He didn't like it any better than he had with Carlos when Missouri told him to "have faith." Especially since every time that she had she had been right. He groaned as they walked in the entrance of the teacher's quarters. He supposed only time would tell.

III

Dean had experienced many things since he had been at Hogwarts, but boredom was rarely one of them. Granted it had taken three days. At first, having the whole Lighthouse practically to himself had seemed great.

In those first days, Dean kept himself busy. From hours pacing the beach to exploring all the nooks and crannies of the Lighthouse. He had even managed to get Sam on the phone to talk with for as long as they pleased (or for as long as their father would allow). Ideally, some of his time would have been spent doing research in the secret Men of Letters Library, but Sinclair had posted himself up in the library this whole break in a way that prevented him from doing so. Out of pure boredom, he had even polished off the last of the weed that Ash had left in the Barracks.

Although he had not grown up with many friends, Dean was not used to being lonely. He had always had his father and his brother close at hand. It disturbed him to realize how much he was missing his friends after only having them around for a couple of months - truly, he had no idea that he had gotten so attached in such a short period of time.

However, he did eventually run out of places to explore and weed to smoke, so he contemplated how he could best get out of his own damned head. His first thought had been to seek out Vaught, if only for pure entertainment value, but the slimy Slytherin had been holed up in his own common room for the entirety of the break.

The only kids left in Gryffindor were the Campbells and while they had practically taken over the common room, the rest of the school was nearly empty, making it easy to avoid them.

He was just about to give into the temptation and actually try and socialize with the douchnozzles when he was saved by bumping into Bobby the day after the big Thanksgiving meal in the mess. (It had actually been the best Thanksgiving food he had that he could remember but it had sucked without his friends.)

"Dean," the gruff man said.

"Uncl – Mr. Singer," Dean corrected himself.

Bobby waived him off. "Ain't no one 'round here that makin' us stand on ceremony."

Dean hadn't spoken to his honorary uncle outside of class since the man had visited him in the hospital wing. He felt a little guilty about this but he had just been too busy with the Men of Letters, his friends, and classes to think much about Bobby.

"Alright," he said.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them.

"You know, I talked the cooks into givin' me a whole leftover turkey from the meal yesterday and I've got a pot of my five-alarm turkey chili on the stove. Way more than I can just eat, wanna to come help your ol' uncle out."

"I thought we weren't allowed into the teacher's housing," Dean said, suspicious.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "And since when do you care about the rules, boy? Holy hell, you've have more detentions than the rest of the freshmen class combined."

Dean shot him a sly look, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've been keepin' tabs on me," he said.

Bobby rolled his eyes and turned to go. "You comin' or not?" He asked over his shoulder.

With a grin, Dean followed him.

III

Dean couldn't say that he had spent a great deal of time thinking about what the living situation was for the teachers of the school, but he was somewhat surprised when Bobby walked them past the building that housed most of the faculty and down a path that he, somehow, hadn't explored before.

At the end of the sandy path was what could best be described as a shack with ocean views. It was only one story with a small porch with a couple of rocking chairs in front of it. It also looked like it had seen better days. It looked as though it could use a couple coats of paint and the glass around the light next to the door had the glass knocked out of it.

"I thought you lived with the rest of the teachers," he said, somewhat dumbly.

"Yeah? Well, I like my privacy and I don't want to live with a bunch of idjits."

Dean considered. It made sense. "But how come I've never seen this place before?" He was sure that he had walked the entirety of the Hogwarts grounds and spent countless hours staring at their map.

"'Cause I know how to hide myself. Come on, it's colder than a witch's tit out here."

He'd have to ask about the warding later.

The smell as he stepped inside hit him with a wave of nostalgia. With the chili on the stove, books jam-packed everywhere, and a small fire going in the fireplace, it smelled just like Bobby's house in Sioux Falls. It was the smell of home and it soothed an ache in Dean that he didn't even know he had.

Bobby bustled over to the stove to check on the chili while Dean took a quick look around.

It was mostly all one room. The kitchen was crammed onto one wall in the far corner with only a refrigerator, countertop, and stove. The rest of the space only contained a small kitchen table that was covered in papers, a sofa, and every other square inch was taken up with bookshelves. There was a door just to the left of the front door that was open and showed a small bathroom. Another, closed door, was likely the bedroom.

"Nice place," he said to Bobby's back.

Bobby grunted and reached for some bowls.

"You waitin' on an engraved invitation?" Bobby grumped, "Get in here an' sit your ass down."

Dean shook his head and sat down at the table, where Bobby shoved a bowl and a spoon in front of him. He felt ten again. And the chili was amazing.

After a couple minutes of quietly eating, Bobby broke the silence. "I hear from the other teachers that you're doin' great in your classes."

"You talk about me with the other teachers?" Dean asked, a little alarmed.

"The teachers at this school are worse gossips than the kids. Then again, there ain't anything more interestin' on this god-forsaken rock, so I don't know what'd you'd expect us to do for entertainment. But to the point. I think you ought to be proud of yourself. Rankings haven't come out, but I suspect that you're at the top of your class."

Dean looked down with embarrassment. School wasn't anything he had ever been good at. And his father certainly hadn't given a shit. It had always been Sammy's thing. "Well, you haven't seen my grade in Algebra then."

"An A minus is nothin' to sniff your nose at, boy."

Bobby really was paying attention. Something warm filled Dean's stomach and he tried his best to ignore it.

"Well…I think you and I both know that I've got a bit of a leg up on the other kids."

"You really better stop sellin' yourself short. Yeah – your daddy has broken more than a dozen huntin' laws with you and your brother, but you're still somethin' of a natural. But no matter about that – how's the chili? I've been tryin' a new recipe…"

Dean was grateful for the change of subject and he and Bobby chatted for the rest of the meal about nothing and everything.

It wasn't until he looked up and realized it was pitch black out that he had been here for hours. He hadn't even noticed the sun go down.

"Oh, it's late," he remarked. "I better get back to the Lighthouse." He glanced at the clock on the wall and winced as he noticed it was past curfew. He might have to do some sneaking.

"Nah, why don't you just kip on the couch? You didn't bring a proper jacket and it's supposed be fall below freezing tonight."

"But what about…"

"Carlos knew I was bringin' you here for dinner. I'll call and make sure that no one's lookin' for you. You and I can walk up to breakfast in the morning."

The thought of staying here in the warm and inviting little house was suddenly much more appealing than traipsing through the cold and windy night and up all the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"If you're sure…"

Bobby snorted. "Stop your belly achin'. I'll get you a blanket."

Dean's eyes did feel heavy. "Alright."

Bobby gave him a nod of approval and Dean moved over the sofa. He did his best to fight off sleep, but with a belly full of food, the hot chocolate that they had after dinner, and the comforting smells of home, he was already half asleep when Bobby came back and covered him in a warm quilt.

"Thanks, Uncle Bobby," he muttered. The older man shushed him while tucking an extra pillow under his head.

"Go back to sleep, Dean."

"'Night."

And he was out like a light.

AN – I'm not dead y'all! I am so sorry for the delay. I have seriously rewritten this chapter about five times, I got distracted by some other plot bunnies, AND then I also lost a good chunk to Windows restarting and not saving my work.

Writing will still be a bit slow – but hopefully not five months slow. Thanks to everyone who is reading, I promise, I will not give up on this story, even if it takes me forever to write.