An Excess of Phlegm

Cas watched the countryside flicker past the window as Dean drove.

'About another hour and we're home,' Dean said cheerfully, but Cas said nothing.

Cas had been tense the entire drive, his fist clenched on his knee, static in the air from trying to control his involuntary Shield Charm.

'It's gonna be okay, you know,' Dean said, in an attempt to soothe Cas. He put his hand over Cas's balled fist, and it relaxed ever so slightly.

'Yeah, maybe we should have just gone straight home,' Dean said guiltily. He just couldn't resist being allowed to drive. But to his surprise, Cas shook his head and spoke for the first time the whole journey.

'This is nice,' he said quietly.

Dean smiled and squeezed Cas's hand. 'You're gonna like it there, I think.'

Cas finally uncurled his fist and squeezed Dean's hand in return.

At last, they rounded into a sleepy village, then Dean took them down a long track. Cas felt when they passed under the protective charms around the property. His shoulders slumped and he finally let the tension ease from his muscles.

The track opened out onto a gravelly driveway, in front of a small bungalow covered in climbing plants that were blooming with sweet-smelling flowers.

Dean got out of the car first, yanking their trunks out of the back, and Cas stood in front of the house, taking it in.

'Come on,' said Dean, leading Cas up the path to the front door. He dragged the trunks through the door and into a long hallway. There were other doors dotted along the hallway, but Dean took them through the one immediately to their left.

'This is us,' Dean said.

Inside the bedroom, one wall was lined with windows and the one opposite had wardrobes with sliding doors. Two beds had been squeezed into it.

'We're sharing, I hope you don't mind,' Dean said, suddenly bashful.

'Not at all,' said Cas. 'Which is mine?'

'This one,' said Dean, indicating to the one nearest the door.

Cas nodded, took off his coat, and hung it on the hook on the back of the door.

'All right, let me give you the tour,' Dean grinned, leading Cas back out of the room.

'That's Bobby's room in there,' Dean said, gesturing at the closed door beside his. 'Bathroom through there, and Sam's up there.' Dean pointed up at the attic door, which opened just as they were passing under it.

'Hey, Cas,' Sam grinned, his head poking out over them.

'Hello, Sam,' Cas smiled.

Dean opened another door into a small kitchen and showed Cas where all the snacks were, then showed Cas through to an open plan living and dining room. There were French doors in the middle of the opposite wall, that opened out onto a patio, complete with outdoor furniture and grill. Past the patio was a sprawling garden, surrounded by tall trees and a pond with bench beside it.

'It's lovely,' Cas murmured.

'Thanks,' Dean grinned.

Cas wandered into the living room, then caught sight of the television in the living room. His eyes widened, and he approached it cautiously. 'I've seen these,' he said. 'They're like the portraits, right?'

'Sort of,' said Dean. 'Why don't you turn it on and see?'

Cas took a moment before he found the on button and pushed it. The television switched on and a man appeared, reading the news extremely loudly. Cas jumped and the glass in both the television and the French doors shattered.

'S-sorry,' Cas said, hugging himself.

'It's okay,' Dean laughed, waving his wand and repairing everything. 'Bobby must have been watching it.'

Cas nodded, but he'd started shaking.

'Hey, it's okay,' Dean said softly, patting his shoulder. 'You're safe.'

Cas just shrugged.

'Are you hungry?' Dean asked, but Cas shook his head. 'Okay, let's go unpack then.'

Cas seemed to relax a little more once they were back in their room, but he was still quiet while they unpacked. Dean showed him where to hang his clothes, and the little bookshelf where Cas could keep his books.

'Dean?' Cas said after a while.

'What's up?'

'Could I just - could I have some time alone?'

'Oh. Yeah, of course.' Dean smiled and rubbed Cas's arm. 'I'll be in the kitchen.'

Dean set about making some dinner, throwing beef and vegetables into a pot. Sam came down from his room at the smell of food.

'How's Cas doing?' he asked.

'Could be worse,' Dean said. 'He'll be okay. Go set the table.'

Dean finished cooking, then went to the bedroom door. 'Hey, Cas, dinner's ready if you want any,' he said through the door. He waited for a moment, and Cas came out. He squeezed Dean's hand, accompanying him to the table. He tried to eat, but only managed half of his meal.

'We should visit the Weasleys at some point,' Dean said, breaking the silence at the table. 'They're only about an hour from here if we drive.'

Cas nodded absent-mindedly, slowly pushing what was left of his dinner around.

Sam grimaced, and started clearing away the plates. 'I'll put this away, so you can have it if you get hungry later,' he said kindly, picking up Cas's plate.

'What's going on, Cas?' Dean asked quietly, while Sam was doing the dishes in the kitchen. 'Talk to me.'

Cas shook his head. 'I don't know,' he admitted. 'I can't get rid of this horrible feeling that I shouldn't be here.'

'I get it,' he said. 'I had the same thing when I got here. Just try to relax, okay? It'll get better, I promise.'

Cas gave a small smile. 'I'll try.'

It was already late, so Dean decided to go to bed, but Cas wasn't ready to sleep yet. 'Take your time,' Dean said, kissing the top of Cas's head. 'Come in when you're ready, don't worry about disturbing me. 'Night.'

'Goodnight, Dean.'

As Dean changed into his pajamas, his thoughts turned to what had happened in the Department of Mysteries, and feeling helpless as Cas lay cursed on the ground. The image of black fluid leaking from Cas's eyes would be forever burned in his brain. He curled up under the blankets, glad to be home, and away from Death Eaters, Demons, Voldemort, and whatever else might be coming for them.

Dean awoke near dawn and looked over to see that Cas still hadn't gone to bed. He got up, yawning and rubbing his eyes, and found Cas sitting on the patio, staring out at the garden.

'Hey,' Dean mumbled, sitting in the chair next to him. 'Have you slept?'

Cas shook his head.

'Do you wanna talk about it?'

Cas pressed his lips together. 'I - um - it's ridiculous, really,' he said.

'If it's bothering you this much, it's not ridiculous.'

Cas looked nervous. 'Just… don't laugh at me.'

'I would never.'

Cas took a deep breath. 'I have this fear that - that if I go to sleep, I'll wake up and none of this was real. I'll wake up back at my father's house, and he'll be furious with me.'

Dean gave him a sympathetic look. 'That's not ridiculous, Cas,' Dean said. 'It's okay to be scared.

Cas sighed. 'I know that logically. I just can't make that irrational part of me stop.'

'Would it help if I stayed awake while you sleep for a while?'

'I don't know,' Cas said miserably.

'Why don't we give it a shot?' Dean said, reaching out to him. 'Come on, there's still time to get in a few hours sleep.'

'All right, I'll try.' Cas took Dean's hand, and let Dean lead him back to their bedroom.

Dean left him alone while he changed, then sat on his bed, facing Cas. 'Don't worry, I'm right here.'

Cas nodded, and pulled the covers over himself. It took almost an hour for him to drift off. His sleep was troubled, a frown creasing his forehead, and his arms twitching. He groaned, his frown deepening, and Dean leaned over to softly brush the hair from his face. Cas shuddered, and rolled over, whimpering.

'It's okay,' Dean whispered. 'It's just a bad dream.'

Cas seemed soothed, but only for a moment, and he woke with a shout, his eyes snapping open. He pushed himself up, looking around wildly.

'I'm here,' Dean said, kneeling next to the bed.

Cas saw him and the fear on his face turned to relief, and his eyes filled with tears, finally letting go of his fear.

'See? It's not a dream,' said Dean. 'You're really here. You're really safe.'

Cas nodded and wiped his eyes. 'Thank you.'

'You wanna sleep a little longer?'

'Yes.'

'Cool. I'll be right here.'

Cas settled back down and was soon fast asleep, this time far more peacefully. Dean dozed off for a few more hours as well, and Cas was still sleeping soundly when Dean woke.

Dean smiled at him, and got up as quietly as he could to make breakfast.

Cas didn't get up until almost midday, and looked well rested. He walked up to Dean and kissed him, then helped himself to some food.

Sam emerged from his room with Grace on his shoulder. 'She's letters for you,' Sam said, handing a couple of envelopes to Cas.

Cas took them, gently scratching Grace's head. 'You were busy last night,' he murmured to her. He recognised the handwriting on the first one as John's and opened it.

Dear Cas,

Be strong. You can do this.

Cas turned the note over, frowning.

'That's all he said?' Sam asked.

'Seems to be,' said Cas. He turned his attention to the other envelope. It was blank, but when he opened it, confetti flew out of it, and a small golden key dropped itself into Cas's palm. Cas stood stock still for a moment, then a dazzling smile spread across his face. A bright glow enveloped him, and Sam and Dean had to shield their eyes.

'Hey, Cas, can you take it down a notch?' Dean said, and the glow subsided.

'Sorry,' said Cas, though still smiling widely.

'Are you okay? I thought that only happened when you were scared.'

'So did I,' Cas admitted. 'But I'm not scared. I'm happy.' He showed them the key. 'This is our Gringotts key. Or rather, it's Gabriel's copy of the key.'

'So that means-'

'He's alive!' Cas exclaimed. 'And wherever he's hiding, he knows where I am. He must have felt it was safe enough to give me this.'

'That's great, Cas,' Dean grinned.

Though it was empty, Cas held the envelope to his chest. 'He's alive,' he repeated quietly.

For the next week, Cas remained in a good mood, helping Dean cook, wandering around the garden, and playing with the television to figure out how it worked.

Bobby came over to check on them all on a sunny Saturday afternoon. He made sure their cupboards were stocked, and Dean decided it was the perfect time to have a barbecue. He donned an oversized chef's hat that made Sam laugh, and set about cooking on the patio.

While Dean was grilling, Cas brought out his broomstick, and started throwing a ball around with Sam, flying low over the garden so they would be shielded from view by the trees. Sam flew unsteadily on an old Cleansweep that had been gathering dust in the shed and did his best to score.

Dean could tell that Cas was going easy on Sam, but Sam didn't manage a single goal, so he flew close to Cas and jumped from his broom, tackling Cas to the ground, laughing. Dean craned his neck to see if they were all right, but then a shiver ran down his spine. Cas was laughing. Dean's fingers tingled. He'd never heard Cas laugh quite like this. He'd smiled, and even chuckled quietly, but Dean had never heard him laugh so freely, and it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He took off his hat and put down the tongs he was holding, and walked over to Cas. He knelt down and kissed Cas fiercely, holding him tightly.

'Ew,' Sam said, disgusted. 'Do you mind?'

Dean caressed Cas's cheek. 'Sorry,' he said sheepishly. 'Couldn't resist.'

'You're going to burn the food,' Cas said, his eyes sparkling.

Dean shrugged. 'Worth it,' he said, kissing Cas again.

Just then, Bobby's voice called across the garden.

'Boys, your dad's on his way.'

Dean's stomach flipped. 'Now?' he called back to Bobby.

'Yeah, now.'

Dean bit his lip and turned to Cas. 'I - um - I haven't really told him about - you know - would you mind - um -'

Cas shuffled away from him slightly and smiled. 'I understand,' he said softly. 'I can pretend to be just friends.'

Dean sighed in relief. 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.'

Dean got up and returned to the grill, just as John came through the doors to the patio.

'Hey, Dad!' Sam grinned, running over and tackling him with a hug.

'Sammy!' John smiled. 'Since when were you so tall?' The he walked over to the grill. 'Dean,' he said. 'You burned these.'

'Oops,' Dean muttered. 'I'll put some more on.'

'Good. I think we'd all like something edible this time.' Finally, he turned to Cas. 'Nice to see you,' he said. 'You look well.'

'Thank you.' Cas said, looking down at the ground. He hadn't forgotten the last time he'd seen John Winchester. 'I appreciate you letting me stay here.'

'No problem, kid.'

'Have you - um - have you heard much from my sister?' Cas asked.

'No,' said John. 'She's been quiet for a while now. Nothing much more than rumours going around.'

'That's good, right?'

John shrugged. 'Maybe. Maybe not.'

Cas sighed.

'Michael has been taking point on the investigation, though, so there could be something he's not telling me…' John gave Cas a suspicious look.

'I haven't seen or spoken to Michael since our mother died,' Cas said uncomfortably.

John blinked in surprise. 'Nothing?'

'No. I think he blames me, as my father did.' Cas shuffled his feet, and Dean noticed him put a hand in his pocket.

'I didn't know that, I'm sorry,' said John. 'He talks about you all the time.'

Cas's head snapped up. 'Really?'

'Sure. He heard you were doing well in school, and he thinks it's nice that you're friends with my son.'

'Oh.'

John turned back to Sam. 'How's that summer project coming on?'

Sam launched into excited babbling, and Cas sidled over to Dean, under the pretence of checking how long the food would take.

'You okay?' Dean whispered.

'Yes. Are you?'

Dean shrugged and flipped the burgers. He didn't speak unless spoken to that whole afternoon, watching John out of the corner of his eye. John stayed long enough to eat, then pulled Sam in for a hug.

'All right, I gotta get back to work,' he said. 'Thanks for watching 'em, Bobby.'

'Sure.'

'Make sure you study hard,' John said to Sam, mussing his hair. 'And it was good to see you again, Cas.'

'You too,' said Cas, not entirely sincerely.

'Dean, take care of Sammy.'

'You know it,' Dean said, the brightness in his voice not quite reaching his expression.

As soon as John left, Dean let out a long sigh and slumped.

Cas hesitantly reached for Dean's hand, and Dean took it.

'Is he always like that?' Cas murmured.

Dean shrugged. 'I guess so.'

Cas frowned and squeezed Dean's hand.

'It's not so bad,' Dean added. 'I mean, I've got Bobby.'

'Are you sure you're all right?'

'I'll be fine. What about you? I saw you go in your pocket, you got your jar in there?'

Cas pulled the jar out of his pocket and it was glowing faintly.

Dean soon cheered up once John had left, however, and kissed Cas whenever there was an opportunity.

Later that night, Cas reached across the gap between their beds and grabbed Dean's hand.

'What's up?'

'I've been thinking… Could I - maybe - invite my family to visit?'

'Your family?' Dean said, confused.

'On my mother's side,' Cas said. 'You met Anna and Alfie.'

'Oh! Yeah! Yeah, of course you can!'

'It would be nice to see them again.'

'It's a great idea, Cas.'

Seemingly satisfied, Cas rolled over and fell asleep. He was up early the next morning, and sent Grace off with a letter to his family.

Another week passed. Cas spent the sunny days outside on his broom, though he was careful to keep out of sight. Dean was gratified to see that Cas had started clearing his plates, no trace of the anxiety that stopped him from finishing meals. One morning, as they were lounging around on the patio, two handsome tawny owls landed in front of them.

'These are school owls,' Cas said, his eyes widening. 'These must be our exam results.'

Both the owls lifted their legs, and Cas and Dean took the letters from them.

'Accio glasses,' said Dean, Summoning the glasses Cas had charmed for him. 'Okay, you first,' he said eagerly.

Cas opened his envelope and unfolded the parchment.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

Pass Grades: Fail Grades:

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

CASTIEL EDLUND HAS ACHIEVED:

Astronomy: O

Care of Magical Creatures: A

Charms: E

Defence Against the Dark Arts: O

Ancient Runes: E

Herbology: E

History of Magic: E

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

'Hey! Look at that!' Dean exclaimed. 'You did it, you got an O in Potions! Good job!'

Cas beamed, his cheeks pink. 'Now you,' he said, pointing at Dean's envelope.

Dean took a deep breath and opened his results.

DEAN WINCHESTER HAS ACHIEVED:

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: E

Defence Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: A

Herbology: A

History of Magic: A

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

Dean stared at the parchment, stunned.

'What's wrong?' Cas asked.

'I - nothing's wrong, I just… I wasn't expecting to actually pass anything,' Dean admitted. 'You helped me a lot, but… I dunno, I had this feeling that I just wasn't smart enough…'

Cas kissed his cheek. 'These results are incredible, Dean. You turned those exams you missed into nine O. in just one year.'

Dean blushed. 'A lot of that was down to you.'

Cas shook his head. 'I gave you the tools you needed. The rest was all you.'

Dean read over his results again, slightly giddy. 'You know, Professor McGonagall is gonna freak out when she sees this.'

'Nonsense, she's always believed in you,' Cas smiled. 'And you could still be an Auror. If that's what you want.'

Dean glanced around furtively. 'Maybe not..' he murmured.

'You can do anything you want, Dean,' Cas said quietly.

Dean welled up, but cleared his throat and put the parchment carefully back in its envelope. 'All right, I think this calls for a party - a small one,' he added at Cas's expression. 'Me, you, Sam, Bobby, and some bottles of Butterbeer.'

'Sounds good to me.'

Later on, Dean snuck off to his bedroom and picked up the framed photo of his mother that he kept next to his bed.

'Hey, Mom,' he whispered, undoing the back of the frame and slipping the parchment behind the photo. 'Keep this safe for me, okay? Love you.' He set the photo back down, kissing his fingers then tapping the glass, before returning to the party and draining a bottle of Butterbeer all to himself.

Welcome to Half-Blood Prince! Firstly, I'd like to apologise for how long this is taking. Just as a quick explanation, I got quite ill shortly after finishing Order of the Phoenix, and haven't been able to write much. This story has a lot of moving parts and takes a lot of concentration, which I haven't been able to manage. I can't guarantee any sort of regularity to these chapters at the moment, but I want you all to know that I haven't given up and I WILL be finishing this series. I appreciate everyone that's still here and still reading, you guys are the best. I'll be back as soon as I can :)