Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There is also references to canon zombies and an ongoing end of the world situation. Feel free to back out if need be.
Author's Note: Guess whose university had their library resume complete services? Guess who is suddenly busy with an influx of grad students who spaced their theses during the pandemic? Can you guess? I'm also exhausted from August Auction over on the Hogwarts forum. As a general reminder, if you have questions about the diversity, length, updates, or necessity of meta data in my stuff, please check my profile before asking. It's likely has already been answered.
Timeline Reminders: Supernatural S05-Ep22 (Swan Song); Post-Chamber of Secrets/Pre-Prisoner of Azkaban; Currently Second Week of July 2010
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 15); MC4A (Year 4)
Individual Challenges: Best Stories (Y); Tastebuds; La Vie Boheme; Deconstructed; Entitled; My Favorite Things; Gryffindor MC; Magical MC; Hunter MC; LEO MC; Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion; Rian-Russo Inversion; Rian-Russo Inversion; Ethnic & Present; Ethnic & Present; Claimed; Hold the Mayo; Go Fluff Yourself; Zed Era; Old Shoes (Y); New Fandom Smell; In a Flash; The Real MC (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y)
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 15 – Assignment 06
Subject (Task No.): n/a
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Yearly Scavenger Hunt [83](Apocalypse AU); 365 [82](Fork);
Other MC4A Challenges: FaB [5D](Pie); Hunt [Fa WD (Native/Indigenous); Fa Con (Cheese; Mashed Potatoes; Pie; Stuffing; Turkey); Fa Items (Computer)]; Chim [Loride] (Royal Purple); Fire [x3](Hold the Mayo; Fruit Basket; Bang Bang); Garden [Blossoms (Burgundy; Lime; Yellow)]; Hang [Phrase 02] (n/a)
Representation(s): Desi Harry Potter & Bi Dean Winchester; Sheriff Jody Mills; Team Free Will as Family
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Hot Apple; Turtle-Duck; Second Verse (Muck & Slime; Grease Monkey; Lovely Coconuts; Deadliest Catch; Unwanted Advice; Mother Hen; Middle Name; Teat Juice; Nontraditional; Found Family; White Dress; Not a Lamp; Ladylike); Chorus (Surprise!; In the Trench; Abandoned Ship; Unicorn; Larger than Life; Tomorrow's Shade; Mouth of Babes; Delicious Lie; Rediscover; Peddling Pots; Machismo; Wabi Sabi; Pocky Pockets; Odd Feathers); Demo 1 (Horrible Love; Fruit Fly; Under the Bridge; Bad Beans); Demo 2 (Mermaid; Hot Stuff; Soul-Like; Getting On; Sitting Hummingbird; Cooler Yelp; Forked Path)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Tether); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); FR (Satisfaction); O3 (Oath); War (Obstruction; Sanctuary); TY (Enfant; Kulonbozo)
Word Count: 842 words
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Needs and Wants
Chapter 11: Reputation
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It was freaking obvious that the people in the diner had been talking about something that they wanted to keep to a limited circle. Given how it had only been a few months since there had been a zombie apocalypse in the town (and attempting to talk to the press had netted exactly zero believers), Dean didn't exactly blame them for going silent when someone entered at nearly nine at night. But the sudden silence made Harry tense under Dean's hand and do that weird hunching thing he tended to do when he was trying to look even smaller than he already was. If Dean wasn't exerting a forward pressure towards the counter seating, the kid would have likely frozen there in the doorway.
Dean had promised the kid pie, and the kid was going to have pie, damn it.
The waitress moved from where she had been sitting with the cluster of locals sitting in a few booths at the other end of the narrow diner. She was an obviously Native woman with her hair up in bun held in place by hair stick with three differently colored gemstones making up the knob. One was a clear burgundy; another a dark yellow; and the final one was the same color as the skin of a lime. She snagged two menus from the holder by the register as she passed it. After placing a menu in front of both of them, she pulled out her ticket pad and a royal purple pen and held it poised ready to write.
"My name is Loni, and I'll be your waiter tonight. So, what can I get you boys?" she asked in a falsely chipper voice. "I will warn ya that if you're looking for a late dinner, I'm afraid that we're out of the Thanksgiving in July Special. Judd Riley there got the last of it."
She pointed to a man around Bobby's age who had a plate of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and a few slices of pressed turkey on it. He glanced up at the sound of his name before clearly dismissing them to tuck back into his meal. The waitress opened her mouth to continue when the bells attached to the door announced a new arrival. Out of habit, Dean froze when he took note of the sheriff's uniform, barely noticing how Harry did the same. Then his mind caught up with who was wearing the uniform.
Jody Mills did not look any happier to see him than she had back when she was arresting him and Sammy for investigating the walking dead situation that Death had used to send them a message. She looked better than she had the last time Dean had seen her, but since that had been at the end of a long battle fending off a zombie apocalypse caused by the actual Apocalypse, he did not think that counted for much. She had a black laptop bag hanging off of one shoulder. She frowned just enough that Dean could see the creases in the concealer she was wearing under her eyes.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Winchester," Jody commented as she headed directly towards them. She gave a nod to Loni. "They're probably here for pie, Loni. I know that I am." When Dean nodded, Jody held up three fingers to Loni. "And I'll have coffee with mine, if you still have any."
"Sure thing, hon," Loni confirmed as she moved around behind the counter to get generous slices of cherry pie along with Jody's coffee. Loni paused when she had the pie slices divvied up to look back at Harry for a long moment.
Instead of bringing the plates, she reached for the mini fridge under the coffee machine to pull out a block of cheddar. With a couple quick motions, she had a few slices of cheese that she used to garnish the plates. Dean didn't comment on how the one that ended up in front of the kid had the most of the slices. He wasn't going to complain about giving Harry more food.
Dean had a feeling that feeding Harry was going to become a habit if it hadn't already.
Jody waited until Harry had nervously tucked into his slice of pie before addressing the proverbial elephant in the room.
"So," she said after washing down a bite of her pie with a sip of coffee, "when did you pick a kid? Should I be expecting real FBI agents?"
"Probably not a problem," Harry volunteered as he focused very intently on balancing a bit of cheese on the prongs of his fork with a bite of pie. "My relatives won't miss me."
"That's—" Jody cut herself off before glaring heatedly at Dean. "Why do you have a British child?"
"It's a long story," Dean tried to deflect only for Jody's glare to intensify. "It really is, and it involves things even more unbelievable than zombies."
She leaned forward determinedly. With a voice filled with unquestionable authority, she said, "Try me."
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To Be Continued
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