Harry would later claim, quite honestly, that it was all Professor Umbridge's fault. She, feeling that he had to much free time in which to get in trouble, essentially made him into Professor Binns' TA. Unexpectedly, it turned out not to be that much of a punishment. Professor Binns was a surprisingly good teacher on a one-on-one basis; it was only when he was in front of a class that he was lacking.

One of the first things that Professor Binns had taught him was that he wanted Harry to think. The deceased teacher had no patience for stupid or ill thought out questions; this was part of what eventually led to his becoming a notoriously lackluster teacher. His drive to teach and polish brilliant minds had gotten buried under the disillusionment of finding few minds turned to his passion, let alone ones of the caliber of Hermione. Over time he had lost his passion for teaching; it bled out until he became what everyone was familiar with.

As a result, Harry ended up learning a great deal, and not just about his schoolmate's homework skills. In between all the grading, cleaning, and other odds and ends, Professor Binns imparted him with interesting trivia and facts. This led Harry to spend more time in the library than his school work and TA duties required, researching various things the ghostly Professor had mentioned.

Over the course of Harry's assisting Professor Binns they had ended up spending many surprisingly interesting and pleasant hours together just talking. Harry had initially been his usual polite self with the Professor, but had eventually come out of his shell a little for the ghost and visa versa. Harry would talk to the Professor about what was going on in his life, or that of his friends, and the Professor would share history with him that for one reason or another has been banned from being taught.

Harry was surprised and pleased when he realized he counted the unusual Professor as one of his friends. Although, he was saddened that he couldn't share it with Ron and Hermione like he could Hagrid. Professor Binns had pointed out that Professor Umbridge would find out and end his 'punishment'. So, sadly he kept quite about it, but made an internal promise to tell the others one day.

The idea came one day while he was in the middle of scrubbing down desks in the History of Magic classroom. "Professor?"

"Yes Mr. Potter?" Professor Binns inquired as he floated closer to the thoughtful teen.

"Is there any way to find out if I have any other relatives? I've been told there's only my aunt and her family, but there should be more." Harry tentatively asked looking up at the floating spirit.

"Of course, there are several ways, light, dark and in between. Any kind in particular?"

Harry frowned turning the question over in his head carefully considering it. "Well... I suppose I would want to know if I have any first of all; then who they are."

"That's easy enough to take care of. It's a simple incantation, not used much these days. Considered to be too old fashioned." The floating Professor said with a disgusted snort. "It's much more reliable than any of the potions or spells they use these days."

"Then why don't they use it?" Harry asked curious.

"It's an old spell; doesn't require a wand either. The Rite of Showing Kin#1."

Harry nodded in understanding. Over the course of the last couple months Harry was subjected many times to the Professor saying, 'Newer isn't always better, sometimes the old ways are best. Many a situation could have been avoided if the ones involved had just used the older, simpler ways, rather than the newer, poorly thought out ways.'

Setting down the scrub brush Harry straightened up. "Would you show me how?"

"Of course. Go get the athame from my desk." The ghost waved towards the aforementioned furniture as he floated towards the window at the front of the class, passing through the desks. "Good, good. Originally they used water, but any transparent reflective surface will do. Now stand here facing the window, and in a firm voice, no need to needlessly shout, say firmly 'I call upon my power to show those me those who share my blood and yet live'." Giving a pleased nod at Harry's recitation he continued, "Now, slice along the inside of your arm lightly, just enough to draw blood, then you lay your open hand from the sliced arm upon the window and recite, 'I ask that you reveal to my gaze my blood kin so I may see and know them'."

As Harry said the last word he gasped; his entire arm tingled and the trickling he felt from the blood running down his arm suddenly reversed and started running up his arm until it reached the window and went into it, staining the clear glass red, spreading outwards from his hand. When the entire window was red it seamed to undulate to like ripples on a pond; then it suddenly turned to silver like a mirror.

Staring into the 'mirror' Harry watched as it first showed his reflection, then it morphed into a dark haired older man, with a dangerously scruffy appearance. After a full minute is morphed into a young man in his mid twenties with the same dangerous air about him, though an easy smile and haunted eyes. After another minute the image shifted again, this time into a longer haired young man in his early twenties with a sad smile and sadder eyes. He eagerly awaited the next shift only to be disappointed when it showed him his aunt's familiar face.

Before the image could change again Professor Umbridge's voice came from down the hall.

"Quickly, recite 'Seen and known, end this vision' then remove your hand." Professor Binns ordered before floating away towards his desk. "Don't forget to cover your arm."

Doing as ordered Harry swiftly headed back to his cleaning after casting a quick blood clotting spell on the still tingling cut. Thoughts turning over in his head Harry went back to his scrubbing.

"Thank you, Professor Binns." Harry said softly.

"I expect two pages on the history of the spell and how it works by Friday." The professor ordered, though he was smiling faintly.

The spell left him with more questions after he had begun with. While researching the spell for the paper he found out that it showed by closeness of relation, closest first, then so on to further relations, if left to run its course the spell will go up to twenty-one generations away.

Meaning that Petunia Dursley was not his closest blood relative as everyone thought, those three men were. Which begged the question: how were those three closer relatives than his mother's own sister?

Unfortunately he had to put those questions on the back burner for now. Instead, with Professor Binns' help he set about discerning if they would be better than his aunt. After several more spells he learned their names, as well as a few things about their personality though nothing about their lives. Most important though, all three where aware of magic and even used it according to what they could tell. The spells required for that would draw to much attention to what he was vaguely planning to do.

But he did learn enough to know that he should be safe enough to stay the summer with them and renew the blood protections as well as be better hidden. After the Dementor attack last summer he didn't trust whatever protections Dumbledore might have set up. Instead he would hide himself somewhere no one would think to look for him.

There were complications, like that the three men traveled a great deal, and not together, so he would have to use a harder way of finding them. But after some thought they eventually had a way, a special portkey that Professor Binns walked him through making which would take him to whichever of the three was closest to him when activated. The casting of the spell was extremely difficult and exhausting but he finally had his way there.

The Professor had Harry keep a copy of the papers he did on all the spells so he could explain when he got there how he got there. After a lot of work all Harry had to do was wait for summer; then he would be spending his time with relatives that weren't his aunt and her family, in America.

When Harry had finally arrived back at the Dursley home he immediately went to his room. He, unfortunately, would have to wait a week before he could leave. But he could do that, all he was going to do was lay low and pack up anything that he hadn't had at school in his trunk.

Finally when the day arrived a week later, after he was sure that his cousin and uncle were gone for the day Harry went downstairs to where his aunt was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked stepping into the sunlit room.

"What do you want?" she demanded eying him warily.

"I have a way you don't have to deal with me this summer and, if all goes well, any summer." Harry said firmly, keeping in mind his plan.

"And just how's that? Don't you need to be here?" Petunia demanded.

"I found out I have other relatives. With your permission I'll go to stay with them." Harry said. "All you have to do is let me go."

"If that's true then why didn't you go to them?"

"I don't think anyone knew about them. I found out through a project this year. I'm not just running off to stay with them, because I don't want to cause you any worry." Harry gave her a slight smile, "I also want you to tell anyone who asks that you don't know where I went."

"And why wouldn't I?" Petunia demanded though he could see her mind racing as it turned over the possibilities of having him gone.

"Because you won't, can't tell what you don't know." Harry shrugged slightly. "So can I go? I can leave right now, I'm all packed. All you'll have to do is collect my mail."

"So eager to leave are you?" Petunia said tartly before nodding. "Very well go, but you know I had nothing to do with this."

"Of course, Aunt Petunia." Harry started to walk off before pausing and turning to give his startled aunt a hug. "Thanks for having taken care of me Aunt Petunia. I know that you could have been a lot worse." Giving her a last smile Harry turned and ran upstairs to grab his trunk, owl cage, and backpack.

He took one last look around the room that had become his, albeit reluctantly he took a deep breath and activated the portkey. "Winchester."

When Harry popped back into existence he promptly collapsed onto his knees and threw up. Portkeys were always an uncomfortable experience, but he had never traveled so far by one. While Harry was busy trying to get control of his heaving Hedwig was going crazy in her cage, and then suddenly someone crashed into the neatly stacked cage and trunk knocking all three over.

Looking up he saw that it was the younger, long haired man, and coming towards them was a bloody man wielding an ax. Pulling his wand his wand Harry pulled his wand and tried to summon the ax only to be surprised and confused when it didn't work. All it really seemed to do was make the man come after him instead.

Before the man could reach Harry though there was a loud crackling boom and the man and his ax disappeared. Turning his head he had just enough time to see the second man from the spell standing there with a shotgun before he was knocked out.

"Sammy, you okay?" Dean asked as he eyed the kid who had appeared out of nowhere with his luggage. The only things kept him from reacting more violently was the fact that: One, after he appeared he started to throw up. Two, he had tried to do something obviously magical when he saw the ghost, even though it hadn't worked. And three, they really needed to burn the ghosts bones.

"Yeah I'm good." Sam said as he climbed to his feet. He ran a quick eye over the kid before grabbing the fallen gas can and ran to the hole in the floor to finish salting and burning the now exposed body before the ghost could make another appearance. "Grab the kid."

"On it," Dean called back. As he was grimacing he pulled the kid over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, grabbing the fallen wand. "Get his stuff on your way out." Dean called over his shoulder as he carried the kid and his bag out of the derelict building that was going to burn because the bones were under the floorboards.

Once they were outside he lowered the kid to the ground and leaned him against the side of the car. Giving the surrounding area a quick look over, he was glad once again that the house the ghost had been haunting was isolated.

"Dean." Sam said as he walked up and dropped the trunk he had been pulling and held up the bird cage that he faintly remembered having been sitting on it before Sam fell on it.

"Is that an owl?" Dean asked incredulous.

"Yeah. Also look at this." Sam pointed at a crest on the front of the trunk.

"A crest?" asked Dean, crouching down to get a closer look. "I've seen that before."

"Yeah so have I. What should we do with the kid?" Sam asked setting the bird cage down on top of the trunk and eyed the owl that was now settling down.

"Well for now we should make sure that the bones finish burning. After that I guess we take him back into town and wait for him to wake up." Dean said standing up.

Sam sighed and nodded turning his eyes from the owl to the now burning house.

Harry groaned and turned over as he regained consciousness.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I think so. What hit me?" Harry asked tentatively opening his eyes.

"That would be Dean. So, who are you?"

"Harry Potter. That makes you Sam right?" Harry asked as he turned carefully to look at the man who was speaking to him.

"Yeah. How'd you know that?" Sam asked eyeing him suspiciously.

"In my bag there's a bunch of papers to explain." Harry winced as his head and stomach gave a particularly vicious throb. "I was going to with that to help but I don't think I can."

Sam pulled the bag on the floor onto this lap and after a minute came out with the bound parchment Harry that was his notes and papers on what he did. "This it?"

"Yeah. Why don't you read that and ask me questions." Harry offered.

"Sure." Sam gave him a long look before offering, "Dean went to get something to eat, why don't you just lay there and try not to throw up again."

"I don't think I have anything left to throw up anymore." Harry muttered before suddenly bolting upright, "Hedwig!" then he started gagging.

"Whoa, slow deep breaths." Sam ordered as he rushed over to the bed and started rubbing his back. "You better?"

Harry nodded tentatively. "I shouldn't have done that."

"At least you didn't throw up." Sam offered. "Hedwig? That your owl?"

"Yeah, is she here?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Yeah, over on your trunk. Look, why don't you lie down and try not do that again." Sam said standing up. "I'll be over here reading."

"Sure. Brilliant plan," Harry said lying down on his side facing away from the window.

Dean leaned back and crossed his arms as he eyed the messy haired brunet sitting on the bed eating a burger. "So you're related to us somehow, and came to us for protection?"

"Kinda. I need to stay with a blood relative for at least a month so the blood protections on me can renew, and I don't want to stay with my aunt or her family anymore so I decided to try and find more relatives."

"And you found us, but we're somehow related more closely." Sam said from where he sat. "This is pretty well thought out."

"One of my Professors helped me." Harry said ducking his head bashfully.

"One of your professors? What they teach magic in school now?" Dean asked frowning.

"Yeah, I go to Hogwarts." The teenager explained before taking another bite of the burger.

Dean sat up and snapped his fingers and pointed at Sam, "That's where I saw that crest before. It's the Hogwarts school crest." Then he turned back to Harry, "Which would make you that Harry Potter."

Harry nodded and cringed slightly waiting for the normal reaction to the news.

"Huh. So someone's after you because you're famous?"

"Voldemort's back. He's been trying to kill me since my first year."

"First year?" Sam asked.

"Since I started at Hogwarts when I was eleven," he clarified.

Dean held up a hand questioningly, "Voldemort? As in the guy you got famous for killing when you were a baby?"

Harry nodded, "He was a ghoul of some sort the first time I saw him when I was eleven. Last year he came back to life."

"To life? Are you serious?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I guess. That's the closest I can come to explaining it." Harry offered. "So I need the blood protections. Can I stay with you? It's only for a month. After that I can go back to England and stay with my friends."

Dean and Sam exchanged looks before Dean shrugged. "We can try it out. Try and figure out how we're related."

Harry gave the two a bright smile. "Thanks."

"Finish eating." Sam ordered. "Think we should put the word out for dad?"

"We've been looking for him for how long?"

"We can try the scrying Professor Binns taught me. It's why I used the blood portkey." Harry offered.

"What?"

"I had to do that because you three were all moving around so much."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks before Dean demanded, "Can you do it again?"

"Yeah, I got all the stuff except the map."

"Great let's do it."

Harry blinked in surprise as Sam dashed out the door.

Five days later Harry was curiously wandering through a flea market on his own as Dean and Sam were off hunting some sort of evil spirit. The two men had over the last few days given a basic run down on the common tools of the trade; but until they had vetted Harry out, didn't want him to hunt.

Harry knew that most boys his age would find it insulting to be shuffled of to the side and told to be good while the other two went off to fight evil, but Harry actually found it soothing. Sam and Dean didn't expect him to take care of everything, try to hide everything 'for his own good', or even care really that he was 'the-boy-who-lived'. Instead they told him what was going on and what they were planning and trusted him to go off and do something on his own while they handled it.

This was the second hunt he had been with them on, not counting the one he had initially crashed. They had, after the second day, gotten him his own cell phone and taught him how to use it, so he had a way to get a hold of them if something happened or visa versa.

Harry was curiously eyeing a booth of antique dolls when his eye was caught by one of them moving. Frowning Harry walked over to the booth and pointed to the doll, "Can I see that one?"

"Of course young man, it's not often I have someone so young interested in these." The old woman at the booth commented as she gathered the doll and handed it over, though she kept a stern eye on him.

Harry had a feeling that the only reason she let him touch it was because of his British accent. "My aunt collects antiques."

"Thinking of getting it for her?"

"Yeah." Harry eyed the doll closely. It was a beautifully crafted porcelain doll about three feet tall with long black curls, blue eyes, an expertly painted face, and a white lace dress. Though the doll was much heavier than he expected, even for one that size, she weighed about as much as an actual child of similar size. "How much for her?"

"Two hundred." The woman said.

Harry looked over at her in surprise, "So little? I thought dolls like this go for several thousand at least. She looks old."

"She is; older than this country. Unfortunately the doll has a very long and tragic history. It's supposedly cursed." The woman shared.

"Cursed? How?" Harry asked curiously giving the woman a hopeful look, silently asking her to share the story.

The woman melted at the look and gave him an encouraging smile. "People who buy the doll tend to end up murdered or disappearing."

Harry looked down at the doll again before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Flipping it open and one handed and thumbing open the pocket he held out the wallet. "Can you grab the money for me? I should have just enough."

"Of course dear." The woman reached out and pulled out the offered money, "Oh honey, this'll clear you out."

"It's okay. I really want this doll." Harry gave her a slight smile. "I don't think I'll come across a deal like this ever again."

That startled a laugh from the woman. "True. Look here." The woman pulled off a twenty from the cash she had just gotten from Harry and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. "Why don't you go get something to eat? Think of it as a discount." She waved off the protest she could see entering his face.

"I... thanks. Thanks a lot." Harry gave her a last smile before walking off with the magic doll after the woman gave him a parting pat on his cheek.

A little ways off Harry found a spot behind a booth where he wouldn't be seen, so he entered and looked down at the doll again. "I know you can move. Can you talk?"

The doll tilted her head and looked up at him. "Yes."

"Great. Hi, I'm Harry. Do you have a name?" Harry asked introducing himself.

"Clarrisa#2."

"Great. Look, I think we got a while until Sam and Dean are done, so why don't we look around for some clothes for you?" At the nod Harry smiled again. "When you see something you like just tug on my coat okay?"

"Okay."

"Great." After adjusting her so that he was carrying her like he would a child of a similar size he walked out and went back to wandering.

"Harry!" Dean called to the teen sitting on a bench. "You done?"

"Yeah. You guys done?" He asked standing up and stretching.

"Yeah. Buy anything good?" Sam asked.

"Well a magic moving doll and some dresses for her." Harry said picking up the large black haired doll from the bench. "This is Clarrisa. Clarrisa this is Dean and Sam."

"A magic moving doll named Clarrisa?" Dean asked incredulous only to jump when the doll waved at him and said hello.

"Right... anything else?" Sam asked slowly.

"Well she's believed to be cursed. And one of the booths has some magic books I'm having them hold for me until you guys came. I'm out of money. Clarrisa here cost two hundred."

Dean sighed and nodded, "Why don't we have a look at these books then go get something to eat?"

"Sure."

A couple days later Harry slid into the booth after setting Clarrisa down in the seat.

"So you find anything on Clarrisa?" Harry asked Sam after the waitress had left.

"Well she is right. Clarrisa's previous owners do have a bad habit of turning up messily dead or just gone. I'm not sure if it's her or just bad luck and rumor."

"Great. Well the most evil thing I've seen her do is to try to eat Hedwig's feathers and hide Sam's shoes." Dean said.

"Why don't we just keep an eye on her then?" Harry suggested.

"Sure. Besides, she shouldn't be around normal people." Dean shrugged. "So we still heading to Wyoming oh great navigator?" he asked in a sudden shift in subjects as the waitress returned with the coffee carafe and glass of juice.

"As of this morning, yes." Harry gave the woman a thankful smile. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Ah come on Harry. She's too young to be a ma'am." Dean teased Harry for his ingrained politeness.

"Sorry Miss. It's what I get for going to a British boarding school for the last five years." Harry apologized to the woman.

Sam just laughed, "Don't worry, Harry. We don't want you picking up Dean's manners anyway."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed hitting Sam on the arm.

"Hey! Jerk!" Sam said hitting Dean back.

"Bitch!"

Harry gave the still watching waitress an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I think I'm the adult here sometimes."

She just laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "I have older brothers too. No need to explain." With that she walked off to continue her rounds.

"Huh." Sam muttered eyeing the departing waitress before picking up his menu.

Shaking his head Dean picked up his cup. "Right."

There was the sound of crunching that had the three turn their head and see Clarrisa sitting there chewing with a bite taken out of Harry's spoon.

"Okay that's new." Sam muttered.

"Did she just eat that spoon?" Dean asked.

"Well at least part of it." Harry confirmed.

"O~kay." Dean shook his head. "Don't do that again. We'll get you some spoons later."

Harry pulled Clarrisa away from Hedwig's cage and set her on the seat on the other side of him. This was the third time that day he'd had to do it. Waking up from a nap to Hedwig's screeching as Clarrisa pulled out feathers so that she could eat them was not fun.

"Damnit Clarrisa! I told you to stop that!" Dean said, frowning into the rearview mirror.

"They're pretty." Clarrisa pouted. "They'll make me pretty too."

"Clarrisa you're already pretty." Sam said reassuring the doll.

"Really, Uncle Sam?" Clarrisa asked.

"Really. See Harry agrees." Sam pointed at Harry who nodded.

"Leave Hedwig's feathers alone please, Clarrisa. She needs her feathers." Harry asked.

"I don't know, maybe she needs a pet or something to get her to stop," Dean muttered.

Sam and Harry blinked in surprise. "That might work."

"Yeah. If it's not a problem I can get her something from the pound. It'll only be until the end of summer." Harry said leaning forward to try and get a look at Dean's face.

"What? No!"

"It'll probably get her to stop plucking Hedwig." Sam pointed out.

"No," Dean stated firmly.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Dean grumbled as he walked into the pound behind Harry and Clarrisa.

"Come on, you suggested it," Sam said smirking in amusement.

"Yeah, but I was joking." Sighing Dean walked up to the counter and drummed his hands on it as they waited for someone to come out of the back.

"Can I help you?"

"Can we take a look at your dogs? Smallish or puppies?" Dean asked.

"Sure. Right this way." The man led them into the kennels.

Dean followed and frowned as he looked down at his hand and rubbed his fingers together. After taking a sniff he nudged Sam and held out his hand that was faintly yellow on the bottom.

Sam arched his eyebrows in surprise before looking down and gesturing towards the floor with his chin. With a sinking feeling Dean took in the painted lines on the cement floor then turned his eyes towards the pound manager that was talking to Harry as he showed him the caged animals.

Dean slowly walked down the aisle running a cursory eye over the animals only to stop when he saw a large dogs eyes turn red briefly. "That's interesting."

"He's an interesting dog. Pure mutt on his mother's side, pure blood on his fathers," the kennel keeper said from right behind him.

"Really?"

"How about this cat?" Harry asked pointing half grown orange bobtailed cat.

"That one's a Manx. The owner got rid of her and her litter because their pure breed show cat got out one night and got pregnant."

"Can I get her?" Harry asked Dean.

Sighing Dean nodded. "Fine."

"Okay what's going on?" Harry demanded when the three of them walked into their motel room after letting Hedwig out of her cage to hunt.

"We think that kennel guy might be up to something." Sam said.

Harry sighed and nodded. "I'll stay here and watch TV."

"Sure." Dean said nodding as he started sorting through what they would need for when they went investigating the pound again. "By the way, Xanthia#3?"

"She was a witch in the sixteen hundreds. I read about her in a book," Harry explained.

"Sounds a little too much like Xanth to me," Dean quipped.

"Xanth?" asked Harry, looking up confused.

"It's a series of fantasy books," Sam explained.

Harry nodded slowly, "Can I see if they have a local book store and see if they have any? Maybe get a jump on some of the jokes I know Dean's going to make about Xanthia's name."

"Sure, I'll look it up for you in a minute," Sam offered. "Maybe I can grab something for me to read too."

Dean snorted. "Nerds."

"Dean, I'm the Seeker on my house Quidditch team. I need something to do while we're traveling," Harry explained. "Besides, you're the one that brought up Xanth."

Sam cackled at Dean's flummoxed look.

Harry looked up from where he was sitting on his bed petting Xanthia and watching The Rock. Sam and Dean limped into the hotel room.

"Kennel guy was up to something?" Harry hazarded a guess.

"Yeah, you could say that," Sam observed.

"Yup, summoning hell critters and breeding them," Dean groaned, as he slowly lowered himself into a chair.

"There's icepacks in the cooler and the med kits next to the TV," Harry said.

"Thanks," Dean said as he grabbed one of the icepacks.

"You guys finished up or are we going to hang around a little longer?" Harry asked.

"Finished up. Looked like he had been in business for a while. The dogs turned on him though, when they got loose in the fight," Sam explained.

"They didn't come after us though. They even let us send them back home. Any idea why that is?" Dean asked.

"I think I might know," Harry muttered in embarrassment.

"Why's that."

"Xanthia."

"Your cat? How could she have anything to do with it? She wasn't part of his breeding program."

"Actually I think she inadvertently was. Earlier I ran into a gremlin on my way back from the diner," Harry explained.

"Gremlin? It didn't touch my car did it?" Dean demanded.

"No, Xanthia kinda transformed into a bigger size and ate it before it could do more than sniff at the tires." Harry shrugged.

"How big?"

"About knee high on Sam. Clarrisa said she could see the demon, that's why she chose her."

"So Xanthia's a demon cat?"

"I think only half." Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Am I going to have to get rid of her?"

Dean eyed the cat that was lying on her back on Harry's lap purring up a storm as her stomach was scratched by the nervous teen. With a sigh he capitulated to the inevitable. "No, no. She hasn't done anything except save my car. We'll do a wait and see like Clarrisa."

Harry gave Dean a blinding smile. "Thanks Dean."

"No problem kid. Now where's dinner?"

"Hi dad," Dean said standing next to the taller man sitting at a table.

"Dean. What are you doing here?" John said with a nod of greeting.

"We need to talk."

"Were's Sam?"

"Staying with why we need to talk."

Sighing, John threw down the money for his beer and followed Dean out of the bar. He blinked in surprise when he saw a teenaged boy and a young girl standing next to the Impala. Eying the boy he was surprised to see a familiar face, but when he shifted his gaze he was startled to realize the girl wasn't a girl but rather a porcelain doll.

"Is that a doll?" John demanded.

"Yeah, I found her at a flea market and decided that she was better with me than some unsuspecting muggle," the boy explained.

"And you are?"

"I'm Harry Potter, sir." The boy held out a tentative hand that John shook with a frown.

"Harry? Lily and James' son?"

"You knew my parents?" Harry asked perking up. He was always pleased to learn more about his parents, though he was surprised to find out that they had met John Winchester.

"I met them about seventeen years ago. They were over here chasing a Death Eater. I'm sorry you never knew them, they were good Aurors," John explained.

"Thank you sir." Harry smiled in gratitude at the man.

"Why don't we continue this at the hotel," Dean broke in.

"I'll meet you there." John said.

"Here's where we're staying," Sam said handing over a paper.

An hour later found the four of them sitting around a hotel room as Clarrisa was happily petting Xanthia on the bed behind Harry.

"Dad, Harry's here because we're related. Closely," Sam said to get the ball rolling.

John scowled, "How closely?"

"The spell I did showed me living blood relatives, closest first. You showed up first. Before my Aunt Petunia," Harry explained in a low voice.

"Petunia?" John asked.

"My mother's sister."

John frowned in thought before realization dawned. "Damn!"

"What?" Sam demanded.

"I think I know how," John sighed and scrubbed his face. "You ever hear of polyjuice?"

"Yes."

"Well, when they were here they had to go to this club. James had a problem; the Death Eater knew what he looked like, so we decided that he would polyjuice to look like me. It was in exchange for their help with what I was hunting at the time."

"How would that explain how we're related sir?" Harry asked curiously.

"Lily apologized to me later. Apparently as part of their cover they had sex while in the club. A friend of mine that taught me some about potions later told me that polyjuice can lead to some mixed up inheritances. If someone's conceived while one of the parent's is polyjuiced, then they have three parents or sometimes four." John shrugged at the uncomfortable incredulous looks he was getting.

"So technically you're Harry's dad?" Sam demanded.

A horrendously blushing Harry opened his mouth to speak but only a squeak emerged.

"That's weird even for us Dad," Dean agreed.

John sighed and shrugged before asking, "Why did you come here?" The answer he got wasn't quite what he was expecting and led to him growling and pacing the room.

After a lot of talking they decided by mutual agreement that Harry was a Winchester, and that he should learn to defend himself as such. So John started to travel with his sons again, though three now rather than just the two he was used to.

They found that Harry not only had a knack for getting in trouble, he seemed to be able to home in on trouble with an unnatural accuracy to such a degree that it couldn't be just luck. He also had a brilliant tactical mind and an ability to bring out the best of a group's talents as proven by his managing to get a group of kids out of a dark forest during the new moon while being chased by a child sacrificing cult with only himself and Clarrisa being over the age of eight.

Clarrisa they discovered was like, "Chucky's scarier cousin, the one that picked on him and thought his evil ways were 'cute'," in Dean's words. For one she could heal from injuries; and because of her fondness for eating metal she had metal talons#4 that lengthened from her fingers to six inches and were very sharp. She had also turned out to have been the one killing the people that bought her, but for Harry she was trying to be good.

They had found this out after Harry had been kidnapped by the evil power hungry librarian who wanted to kill him and steal his power.

Clarrisa had found him before the librarian could even get halfway through the spell and had rather messily and quickly killed her before Harry's horrified eyes; then cut him loose with her new talons that retracted once she was finished.

When Harry made it back to his family both he and especially Clarrisa were covered in blood. After his explanation of what had happened John had interrogated the doll and led to them finding out her history.

It turns out her original owner was the daughter of an army officer that was in India and he and his entire family were rather brutally killed. The daughter died holding Clarrisa.

The family's effects were shipped back to England where she ended up in the hands of a girl that was killed in a home invasion. The third owner was the one that enchanted her to move and sent her to a relative in the colonies. She was sent as a hidden assassin to kill the family so the gift giver could inherit.

After that Clarrisa exchanged hands several times sometimes killing her owners sometimes not, having been tainted and twisted by her violent history. Eventually she ended up in Harry's hands. Pretty much, she's an evil murderous doll with some very interesting abilities.

After discovering this it led to Harry standing and watching as Dean drew out the spellwork to cleanse and exorcise Clarrisa, to rid her of all her magic. Sighing Harry turned his eyes to the animate doll who was sadly saying goodbye to Xanthia. She was going to be his first exorcism.

"There." Dean dusted off his hands and handed over the spell book.

Sighing Harry accepted, he knew she was evil, but he wasn't looking forward to this. After all, Clarrisa had been protecting him from the evil witch; okay she killed her, but she was still protecting him.

"Clarrisa it's time," Harry called over to her.

"Yes Daddy." Clarrisa got up and went to stand in the middle of the array.#5

"Do you know what I'm going to do?" Harry asked frowning down at her; over the last three weeks he never once doubted that Clarrisa was smart. She was very smart, and apparently evil.

"Yes Daddy. You're going to cleanse me of all my magic and make me a normal doll again," Clarrisa explained patiently.

"And you're going to let me?" Harry asked.

"If that's what Daddy wants. I know what I did was bad, but I was made that way. This is a good thing." Clarrisa smiled at him.

Harry stared at Clarrisa then looked at the book only to hand it over to Sam. "I can't do it. You do it."

Sam accepted the book only to do the same thing, this time, handing the book to Dean.

"Wusses," Dean muttered as he started to do it only to stop mid chant, feeling Clarrisa's sadly patient gaze on him, and looked over at John. "I don't think I can either."

John sighed, "Fine, we can keep her. But only if she's good." He shook his head incredulously; his boys got into the strangest trouble. Even Harry and he had only known the boy for three weeks.

"Thank you, Grandfather," Clarrisa said running up and hugging his legs.

Patting her awkwardly on the head he looked at the three boys who were smirking at his expression, though Harry only with his eyes. "Get your stuff together; we need to get to the next town." Harry tentatively raised his hand. "What is it Harry?"

"Um, wouldn't the librarian lady have had spell books?" Harry asked tentatively then shrank down at the incredulous looks he got turned on him by the other three. "I mean, she was a witch right? So..."

"You're right," Sam said heading back to the Impala. "I'll go look up her address."

John clapped Harry on the shoulder, "Good thinking son. Let's get going. What we don't keep or burn, we can probably sell."

Harry glowed under the praise.

"Good work little bro." Dean threw an arm over Harry's shoulder. "See, you fit right in."

"Thanks."

Harry carefully cleaned a gun under John's stern gaze in the hotel room they were sharing. They had decided on the first night all together that Harry would share with John, while Sam and Dean would continue to share, seeing as the Winchester patriarch was older and nastier than any of his sons.

Not that it stopped them for spending a lot of time in the same room, they just slept split up. And with the added protections of Clarrisa and Xanthia, who after the first time John had woken up to find her blanketing Harry in her large form had accepted that, it roughly evened out. He figured that anything Sam and Dean could handle, he, Harry and his pets could handle.

While traveling though, it varied who Harry rode with. Sometimes it was with his brothers, sometimes it was with John; although, Clarrisa and Hedwig usually rode in the Impala due to it having more room. Either way it worked.

Harry was having what was probably the best summer of his life and he was learning a lot from his new family. He'd even had a birthday party; on his birthday. Dean had somehow gotten him the entire Xanth series; Sam had gotten him an iPod with music that in his words, "didn't suck"; and John had gotten him a few books on legends and a knife.

This was one summer that he actually wasn't looking forward to going to school. While yes he would see his friends again, he would also have to see everyone else. That, he wasn't looking forward to at all.

Smiling sadly at the thought of school Harry was just setting down the piece he had just finished when there was a knock at the door. Looking up he watched as John cautiously opened the door, only to freeze when he heard the familiar voice speak from the other side.

"I'm looking for - John?" Snape asked mid-demand.

"Severus! What are you doing here?" John asked opening the door further and clapping Snape on the shoulder. "I didn't know you were coming."

"I didn't know you were here or I would have informed you," Snape said. "Is Mr. Potter here?"

"What makes you think 'Mr. Potter' is here?" John asked.

"Because this led me here."

"Dad is something going on?" Sam's voice asked from further outside.

"I'm finding out. Well, Severus, you heard my son."

"I'm looking for Harry Potter. Now is he here?"

"I'm here sir," Harry said coming up behind John after having carefully sat aside the gun parts. "Did Professor Dumbledore send you for me?"

"Indeed. What are you doing here of all places?" Snape demanded.

"Turns out he's my son. Come in and I'll explain," John said leading in an incredulous Snape and curious Sam.

"Your son." Snape stated taking a seat in one of the chairs. "This had better be good."

"His father was polyjuiced as me when he was conceived." John shrugged. "Looks like that chance you warned me about happened."

"James was polyjuiced as you when he and Lily..." Snape snapped his mouth shut and shook his head. "I need a drink."

Dean, Sam, and Harry watched in horror as Snape and John traded stories and jokes.

"That is so wrong," Dean muttered when their father laughed at a story Snape had just finished.

"You have no concept of just how wrong," Harry whispered in shock. "I think I need a drink."

"I'm almost at the point I'd let you," Sam said.

"Maybe they're possessed?" Dean asked hopefully.

"That's always your answer," Harry snipped.

"Maybe we should check just to make sure?" Sam asked cautiously edging away from the two jovial men.

"I think that might be a good idea," Dean agreed.

"Can I stay with you two tonight? I don't think I can handle them," Harry asked turning wide eyes on his brothers. "They might eat my brain in my sleep."

"I knew we shouldn't have let you watch that monster movie marathon," Dean grumbled though he nodded his consent.

"Right, I think we should go now," Sam said standing up.

"Um, yeah. Dad we're going to the mall to get me some new shoes okay?" Harry asked standing up as well.

"Be careful and look out for your brothers Dean," John ordered giving the boys a stern look.

"Yes sir," Dead said before bolting out of the bar with the other two. The mall at four was a whole world less disturbing for him than that scene had been.

"Food time," Dean said stopping the car in a grocery store parking lot. "Dad said he and Snape are going to go ahead and check in and look around. We just gotta get the food."

"Why did he have to come with us anyway?" Sam asked getting out of the car. "You stay here Clarrisa. Guard the car okay." He added on to her when she started to get out after Harry.

"Okay."

"I think it's to keep an eye on me," Harry said stretching. "That and to be around someone he actually likes and respects anyway."

"Rare thing?" Dean asked.

"Rare thing," Harry agreed. "Can we get some more pizza?"

"Sure," Sam agreed.

Walking back out to the car with the groceries Dean almost shot the Impala when Clarrisa suddenly thumped against the side window doing a credible Garfield-window-cat#6 impression.

"Damn it Clarrisa, don't do that."

Sam snickered next to him, although he had almost done the same thing.

"Here Clarrisa I got you some plastic spoons." Harry handed her a box of picnic spoons after they opened the car.

"Thank you Daddy," She chirped before eagerly opening the box and happily began eating one.

"And to think that used to be creepy," Dean muttered as he started got into the driver's seat.

"Harvelle's?" Dean asked looking at the dingy roadhouse they were parked in front of.

"It may not look like much, but it's a Hunter friendly," John explained. "Only thing is, the owner doesn't like me."

"Right. So why are we here if the owner's going to shoot you?" Sam asked incredulous.

"We need to talk to someone that lives here," John said before biting the bullet and leading the way inside. "Wait here."

Shrugging Dean looked over at the other two Winchester's, only to have his eye caught by a black clad Clarrisa crouched next to a mud puddle and about to put something she had found in her mouth. "Clarrisa drop it. You don't know where it's been," Dean snapped and rubbed his forehead where he could feel a headache forming. "Did I just admonish the evil doll?"

"I'd say so," Sam agreed, voice dripping amusement.

"Damnit," Dean sighed and looked over at the tall man. "What do you think our chances of not getting run off are?"

"With John's charm?" Snape asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Maybe we should start the car?" Sam asked after a moment of silence.

"Get in here boys," John called reappearing at the door.

"Alright now shoot," Dean instructed from across the pool table from Harry. The boy was defiantly a Winchester; he was learning the game pretty well. They hadn't started him on any of the hustling techniques yet, but he was building up his skills quickly.

"So you guys are brothers huh?" Jo asked Sam from where they sat watching the other two.

"Yeah. Harry's going back to school with Snape at the end of the summer though. It's been an interesting few weeks."

"You guy's seem really close."

"Yeah we are. It's kinda nice to have the whole family together." Sam smiled slightly, "Even some of our new odder members."

Jo looked over at a Clarrisa who was reading Night Mare to Xanthia.

"She's..."

"A long story; and she also seems to have taken a liking to Snape as shown by her clothes." Sam shook his head. "Harry can find the weirdest things on accident.

Harry yawned and stumbled out of the Impala thanking Snape again mentally for doing the spell that increased the space inside the car, it made traveling more comfortable now that he and the others could stretch out if they wanted. Sam had actually hugged Snape in gratitude for that, Dean had hugged him for doing the same for the weapon compartment.

"Why are we at a house?" Harry asked Sam in surprise as he eyed the well kept Victorian style house they had stopped in front of.

"Boarding house. We're going to be here for at least a week with the new case," Sam explained, "so we're going to stay here rather than a hotel."

"Why so long?" Harry asked

"Some sort of spirit is supposed to show up every year on the same date in a couple weeks, we're here early to take a look around and gather information." Sam gave Harry a reassuring smile. "Dad also wants us to stay in the same place for a few days anyway. He won't say why though."

"I heard the talk you to had over that," Harry quipped referring to the blow up fight that the two had had over that order.

"Sorry about that. Me and Dad have... problems." Sam shrugged and looked over at John. "So are we staying here or elsewhere?"

"Here. Come on boys." John said, leading the way as Harry picked up Clarrisa and followed.

Not long later Harry set down his trunk on the floor of his room in the boarding house. Looking around the small room he sighed as he rubbed his shoulder.

"It's not as bad as it could have been." Sam reassured Harry with a small smile as he set down the other end of the trunk.

"How?" He asked genuinely curious as to what Sam was referring to.

"At least we're not going to have to worry about drowning in ruffles and flowers like some places." Sam gave a theatrical shudder at the memory of a few places they'd stayed in over the years.

Harry laughed softly, "That's true. Do you guys need me for anything or can I take a look around?"

"Check with Dad first, but I think its okay, just take Clarrisa or Xanthia with you." Sam said after a moments thought. "I'll probably be at the library for most of the day with Dean."

"If I take Clarrisa out people will notice I'm carrying a doll." Harry pointed out.

"I can help with that." Snape's dry voice said from the doorway.

"How sir?" Harry asked. He had felt bad about not being able to allow Clarrisa to move around muggles.

Snape flicked his wand at Clarrisa and cast a minor illusion on her. "There."

Sam and Harry eyed Clarrisa thoughtfully, the illusion, which was very well done actually, made her look completely human. "Can you make a pendant or something for her so we don't have to come to you for it?"

Harry nodded thoughtfully, "That's a good idea, and wouldn't that require some rather delicate potion work to make? I mean for it to be a permanent effect of the pendant?" Harry asked turning questioning eyes to Snape.

After giving him a thoughtful look Snape shook his head and chuckled, "You are defiantly Lily and John's son. I'll see what I can do." With that he turned and swept out of the room.

Harry shook his head incredulously, "I think he's decided to completely ignore the Potter part of my ancestry."

Sam shook his head, "It's probably a good thing. Come on lets go check with Dad."

Shaking off the weirdness that was Snape, Harry took Clarrisa's hand and followed Sam. Some things just really shouldn't be thought about, and Snape's line of reasoning was one of them. Every time he tried he always ended up depressed and usually almost dead.

Harry slowly walked over to the old man that sat on the porch of the house next the boarding house they were staying in. He had heard fiddles a couple of times, but this was different. There was something almost... magic for lack of a better word, about the man's playing.

"You just going to stand there boy? Or are you going to come up here?" The old man's cankerous voice startled Harry.

Blushing Harry climbed the stairs to stand in front of the man who had laid his fiddle across his lap as he eyed Harry. "S-sorry sir. I've just never heard music like that before."

The man snorted, "This time of year always put me in the mood for it. What's you're name boy?"

"Harry sir. Harry Potter."

"Harry huh? Good, strong name. Not pretentious like some of the one's I've heard for your kind." The old man snorted obviously thinking of some of those 'pretentious names'.

"My kind sir?" Harry asked confused.

"Wizards. Only met few in all my years that was worth their salt, the rest..." The man snorted again, "Well they soon learn better than to think I don't know my stuff, backwoods or no."

"You know of wizards sir?"

"You live as long as I have you see things. So Harry have a seat. My names Johnny." The man held out his hand to Harry after he tentatively sat down. "So you like music?"

"I guess as much as anyone sir. Dean's more the music fan than me, and he's mostly into classic rock though." Harry paused before pressing on, "It's just... It's just there was something almost magical about your playing."

Johnny gave a startled laugh, "That's 'cause there is boy. You think you wizards have magic all tied up with your wands?"

"No, I know there's different kinds of magic, I've seen enough of it so far to know that much at least, but I didn't know music had it." Harry said.

"Why wouldn't it have magic? There's nothing that calls to emotions easier than music, and nothing can affect magic more than emotions."

"I suppose so sir." Harry said thoughtfully as he thought over his past experiences with magic.

Johnny gave Harry a stern look before coming to some internal decision. "You want to try?"

"Try?" Harry asked confused.

"Playing. Judging by your accent you probably go to one of those fancy schools, so you must have some idea of music."

"Not really sir, Hogwarts doesn't teach music." Harry shrugged uncomfortably. "I wouldn't mind trying though, it looked interesting."

"Well here," The man handed over his fiddle and bow. "Now this is how you position yourself."

The rest of the afternoon passed in a pleasant blur as Johnny patiently taught Harry both magical philosophy along with scales all mixed up in such a way where Harry didn't even realize that Johnny had been teaching him anything but scales.

"So what's with you and the old man?" Dean asked Harry as they sorted through John's notebook. "You've been spending every afternoon for the last three days with him."

"Johnny?" Harry asked confused carefully typing a copy from one of the carefully cleaned up journal pages on the laptop he had bought himself for his birthday. "He's teaching me how to play the fiddle. How are we going to do the sketches and stuff?"

"Probably scan them or something. Why would you want to play the fiddle?"

"It's interesting, and there's a kind of magic when Johnny plays. I want to be able to do that someday if I get good enough." Harry explained. "Alright I finished this entry. I didn't know this would this much work to organize Dad's journal. Why are we doing it anyway?"

"'Cause Dad, Sammy, and Snape are off chasing down leads on the case right now, and since it's still in the look stuff up phase I might as well be doing something useful." Dean said.

"So you got banished to keep from driving them crazy?" Harry teased.

Dean laughed and shook his head, "Pretty much. Besides it'll be nice to clean up Dad's stuff so we don't have to decode it."

Harry laughed and shook his head. "And I thought some of the homework I had to grade for Professor Binns was bad. Maybe when we're done with Dad's we should offer it up as a research or start up book for hunters. You know so it's a reliable source of what's actually out there and what works?"

Dean looked thoughtful at Harry's suggestion, "That's actually a good idea, especially if we can get other hunters to add to it. I can think of a few times where something like that would have come in really handy. Especially since a few hunters specialize in certain creatures or areas. Maybe even get a vanity press to run off copies or something so it looks more legit."

Harry snorted in amusement, "If we do that I'm going to have to get Hermione a copy. She'd love it. What about these cases that are taken care of?" Harry asked looking at another paper.

"Put them in. They make for good reference if nothing else. Pretty much a 'this is something that was going on and how it went down' kinda thing."

Nodding Harry started carefully typing down the information on a new page. "You guys will have to go through and fill in the information."

Dean chuckled nervously, "You don't mean like a report right?"

"Pretty much."

Sighing Dean rubbed his face tiredly, "Great, more work."

Harry threw Dean an amused look, already knowing his oldest brother well enough to know he'd do it if only to give another hunter that much more of a chance to survive.

Sam looked over at John thoughtfully, "So Dad, why are we really here?"

John gave Sam a sharp look before sighing, "Harry."

"I know he's leaving on the thirty-first but..." Sam began, knowing that they were all sad that Harry would be leaving with Snape.

"I don't think he'll be leaving if I'm reading him right. I've had a lawyer friend of mine working on transferring custody of Harry over to me. We need to stay in one place for a couple weeks as he finishes things up."

"Really?" Sam asked surprised.

John snorted. "You've been around him longer; do you think he's anything less than a true Winchester?"

"No, no I don't." Sam snorted. "I think he gets into just as much trouble as the rest of us."

"Just wait till he's ready to hunt." John added.

Sam snorted in amusement, "True."

John eyed Harry as they stood beside his truck. "You stay with Johnny and Severus and look over that folder." John ordered gruffly, trying to not let onto how nervous he was over Harry's reaction to being offered to staying with them rather than be sent back to a school that John knew was a danger to his youngest boy. The boy had said himself he's learned more in the last two months with them than he had in the last two years at his fancy school.

First things first though, John, Sam, and Dean had to take care of this case before they could do anything else. Reminding himself again that Harry had a good head on his shoulders he clapped him on the shoulder and turned to look at Severus and Johnny who were standing on the old man's porch. "He's my youngest boy."

"We'll keep an eye on John." Severus said with a serious look. "Just don't die so I won't have to take him in for you."

"Bye Grandpa," Clarrisa said hugging a startled John around the knees. "Can you bring me back something to eat?"

John patted her on the head marveling internally again at Clarrisa, "We'll see. Keep a good eye Harry. He tends to get into trouble."

"I'll eat anything that tries to eat him." The threat was adorable coming from what appeared to be a five year old, but John knew she was not only serious, but fully capable of following through with her promise.

"Good, you do that. Thank you again for loaning us Xanthia." Dean said as he picked up Clarrisa in a brief hug before handing her to Harry. "And be good. No eating something you shouldn't."

Clarrisa gave him a serious look from Harry's arms, "Maybe I should be calling you Daddy instead."

Sam and Harry burst out laughing at the confused and offended look on Dean's face.

"Thanks again Johnny for doing this for us."

"Why wouldn't I. The boy actually listens," the old man grumbled, though he did look pleased at the gratitude and respect the Winchester clan and company had shown him in their stay at the boarding house. "Get going and do you're work. I want my house back as soon as possible."

Shaking his head John climbed into his truck and led the way to the meadow the apparition appeared in.

Harry was lying asleep on the couch in Johnny's living room when the Winchesters returned tired and bruised, but thankfully mostly uninjured. Xanthia ran past Dean's legs to greet Clarrisa who was sitting and calmly coloring at the coffee table.

"I take it that you managed to take care of the problem."

"It was nasty but, yeah, we solved it." Dean said as he grimacing lowered himself into a kitchen chair across from Johnny. "Xanthia really helped. Good thinking Sammy about using Xanthia's Hellcat nature to track the thing."

"Don't call me Sammy, but thanks. Although I didn't know that she could absorb magic like that." Sam added on thoughtfully thinking of the way Xanthia had just shrugged off every spell the demon had flung at her. That part had been vaguely surreal, especially when she managed to pull off a very credible Predator imitation and go invisible, or creepy-good camouflage. Whatever it was.

"We need to research what Hellcat's can actually do soon." John commented as he gratefully accepted the potion from Snape. "Did he get through the folder?"

"He did, and said the only reason he'd go back is to see his friends." Snape informed his friend. "He also said either way he wants to change his name to Winchester."

"He's tired of being 'The Great Harry Potter.'" Dean commented with a grimace at the taste of the potion he had just downed. "What the hell did you put in that?"

"Are you sure you really want to know?"

"No? But I probably need to." Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Sam smirked at his brother, "I caught you looking through Harry's spell books. Taking an interest in magic?"

"No! I just want to know how it works. Besides you never know if it might come in handy. And this..." Dean said shaking the empty glass his potion had been in, "...is useful."

"Yeah, but the DADA books are useless." Sam said with a snort.

"They haven't been able to hold a DADA teacher for more than a year." Snape commented dryly. "And he's only had one truly competent one, and he was fired when they found out he was a werewolf." Snape paused before grudgingly adding on, "One that did everything possible to keep from injuring or infecting others."

"Thank you for reaffirming that Harry's not going back to that school." Sam grimaced in disgust. "How do you think they're going to react to Harry Potter leaving to go overseas?"

"With the current administration, probably declare him traitor."

Johnny shook his head in disgust. "Makes me glad we wised up and broke off from England." The old man stood up with a groan. "Now you boys go get some sleep. You look like you've just fought a war."

Nodding their ascent they gathered Harry, Clarrisa, and Xanthia up and went back to the boarding house to catch some sleep.

After nearly three days rest the Winchester clan, including their newest members were packing up the vehicles preparing to head off to their next job. Snape had already left the day before to spend the last to days before term started finishing up last minute details that he hadn't had time or materials for while traveling.

Harry was finishing securing his trunk in the back of John's truck, complete with a sticking charm, when Johnny approached them holding a cooler with a box on top of it. "Here let me help with that." Sam said taking it from the old man.

"Good, give me the box." Taking back the box Johnny turned to Harry and handed it over. "A parting gift."

"A gift?" Harry asked surprised as he accepted the gift. Setting the box down on the Impala's hood he opened the top flaps to find a fiddle case and underneath it what looked to be music books.

"I expect you to keep practicing." Johnny ordered. "I don't like wasting my time."

"Shouldn't this go to one of your kids? Or grandkids?" Harry asked wide eyed.

Johnny just snorted in disgust. "That useless lot? Not a one of them has any talent in fiddling, let alone interest. No I'd rather this lot goes to someone who'll appreciate it. The coolers some food and drinks, should last you a few days. Had that Snape boy spell it for me."

"Johnny you didn't have to do this." John protested.

"This is the least I could do. You cleaned up my mess. Least I could give you was a little help. The fiddle and the like are for young Harry for appreciating them." Johnny waved off the protests. "Get going and back to your work."

John laughed and shook his head. "It's been nice knowing you Johnny."

The Winchesters said their final greetings to the locals that they had met over the last couple weeks, though they all liked Johnny the best. He understood them in a way that few others could. They all wondered if the man had been a hunter when he was younger, but were all too polite to intrude on the man's much valued privacy in that way.

That night Harry was looking through the music books next to Sam who was petting Hedwig as he watched TV. Opening up one he was surprised to find an envelope addressed to him inside. Frowning he pulled it out and opened it only to find a letter.

Harry read over the brief but surprising letter three times before Dean's voice cut into his thoughts. "Hey whatcha reading?"

"Johnny left me a letter in one of the music books." Harry frowned before reading the letter out loud so that his brothers knew the contents.

"So what's the prize?" Sam asked.

"I don't know I haven't checked." Harry said.

"Wait a second." Dean said grabbing a gun. "Okay, open it up."

Taking a deep breath Harry nodded and did as the letter instructed. When the case was opened to display the prize.

"No way." Dean breathed.

"I can't believe it." Sam muttered.

Harry just silently stared at the solid gold fiddle and bow that lay in the worn velvet lining of the case.#7

#1: I know it's a very unimaginative name, but one Professor Binns is probably translating, and two I couldn't really think of anything else, but I'm open to suggestions.
#2: I really like the idea for Clarrisa. More will be revealed as it continues.
#3: Xanthia is a name I got from a book, I was checking out some romance novels and that was the heroine's name. Thought it was good and it's odd enough to have been a good witch name (which the character was).
#4: Think of them as a cross between Wolverine's and Deathstrike' (was that her name, the mutant from the second movie that was way too Wolverine-like?) claws. They extend like hers but are bladed like his.
#5: Damnit yes I know that's from Fullmetal Alchemist, but I couldn't think of the word, so I'm going to use array.
#6: You know, those stuffed Garfield's that have suction cups on their paws and you hang in your car windows.
#7: Okay that story has to be explained a bit. I was playing a video game just leveling up my characters and listening to the radio when suddenly The Devil Went Down to Georgia came on. I love the song, and I had this idle thought that that would make for a great adventure for Harry to have running into Johnny some fifty to sixty years later. Then it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it, but the problem was I was having a problem with how to start it. I'm talking a couple weeks just staring at the part where they reach the boarding house before I finally managed to get through the block, then I finished it up in one night. (Yay me.) And no, Harry is not going back to Hogwarts. There is no way in hell any of the Winchesters would let him with Harry having almost been killed there every single year. So instead he's going to be staying with them and doing home schooling on the road. He'll visit his friends, but he won't be staying.

Letters from Everywhere

Harry sat cross-legged on his current bed and carefully sorted through the collection of assorted rocks Dean had given him that morning.

He had been surprised to find out that his dad and both brothers were wizards. In spite of how big of a role the supernatural played in their lives, they seemed very muggle. He was still waiting to hear back from Binns on the educational quagmire the US had for its magical population.

But as things stood, Harry was learning, or at least beginning to learn, the family's particular magic. For the fact that they're originally from Kansas, it made a strange sort of sense for them to be stone shapers. Which led to his first lesson of sorting the rocks by magical resonance, or trying to anyway. After an hour he had a discouragingly small amount sorted.

Harry looked up tensely with his hand on his wand when the hotel door suddenly opened.

"Hey, runt," Dean greeted, as he set a bag of take out on the room table.

Harry shook his head in exasperation, "Sam's right, you are a jerk."

"Yeah, well, at least I'm still pretty." Dean gave him an amused smirk. "What's with the rocks?"

"Magic lesson. Dad's having me sort them." Harry frowned down at the piece of quartz before putting it into one of the jars.

"Ah, that. Well hang in there. You're starting a lot later than me or Sammy did." Dean handed Harry a bottle of orange juice before sitting down at the table to sort through the food.

"You any good at this?" Harry asked curiously.

"Better than Sammy anyway. Remind me to show you my familiar sometime."

"You have a familiar?" Harry was surprised. He had never seen Dean with anything remotely familiar-like in the months he had known him, except maybe his car.

"Yeah, kinda." Dean took a bite from one of the containers. "Anyway, looks like the place is really haunted, so we're going to have to be a bit more careful."

"Maybe we should make some healing potions, or at least salves," Harry suggested. "It'll also count for some credit."

Dean chewed thoughtfully for a minute before nodding. "Good thinking. Get me a list of what we'll need."

"We?"

"I figure one of us should learn your style."

Harry eyed the three pound hunk of granite doubtfully. "This is your familiar?"

"Yup."

"It's a rock."

"Yup."

"How can a rock be a familiar?"

"Easy. Loan me your wand for a minute."

"What?"

"Your wand. Give it."

"Alright..." Harry doubtfully muttered.

Taking the wand Dean an unfamiliar incantation that made the rock transform from just a hunk of granite, into a small wolf, though still with the color, and texture of the rock.

"Did you mess up?" Harry asked eyeing the miniature wolf Dean was petting.

"Nope. That's how she's supposed to look. Eventually we'll get you up to this level. It's not changing the rock from one thing into another, it's giving the rock life and mobility," Dean explained.

"A combined transfiguration and charm spell," Sam explained, from where he sat on the bed. "Pretty much gargoyles."

"Among other things," Dean reminded his taller brother.

"And you're from Kansas?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Weird, huh?" Dean answered with a shit-eating grin.

Clarrisa hummed happily as she carefully helped Dean chop potions ingredients in their newest hotel room. Harry was sorting rocks again, doing a little better than before. Sam was on his the laptop researching their current job. John was out chasing down other, more physical leads, and Xanthia was draped on top of Harry's school trunk.

Pretty much, things were homey in a strange way. It all left Harry feeling that this was how a family should be, each member doing their part. "Why are you still looking up stuff if you know who's haunting the house?"

"Mostly to be thorough, it's always embarrassing to get surprised by something that you could've prevented if you'd just kept digging because you thought you found the problem. A lot of Hunters die like that."

Harry laughed softly at Sam's explanation. "Hermione would love that. A real world application of her overzealous studying."

"Yeah, well in this line of work partial information can very easily get you killed, if not the people you're trying to help," Dean explained, then he looked over with a grin. "Doesn't mean she isn't a nerd though."

Harry nodded in agreement as he rubbed his forehead.

"You okay?" Dean asked in worry, seeing the movement.

"Yeah, just a headache." Harry waved off Dean's concern.

"Take a break then. Watch a movie or something."

"Dean..."

"He's right Harry, just take a break. You shouldn't rush it." Sam piped up.

"I know, I just feel a little useless."

"Hey, you've helped a lot." Sam comforted.

"I know, doesn't change how I feel sometimes though."

"You want to be helpful?" Dean asked. "Fine I've got a job for you. Be our alibi."

"I'm already your alibi," Harry replied flatly.

"There, see, not useless."

Sam sighed and shook his head. "You're such a jerk, Dean."

"And you're a bitch, so we're even. When's Hedwig getting back anyway?"

"It's pretty far to England, so I don't know. I wouldn't worry though, Hedwig's good at her job."

Note: Set during Ep. Skin of SPN

Harry blinked and pulled his hand back to stare at it then at the book that he swore just made his hand tingle. Looking around quickly, checking that no one was around before pulling out his wand and doing a quick magic detection spell. All the spell was good for was seeing whether or not an object was magical, so it wasn't used much, though Harry was, oddly, using it more than anyone he had ever heard of.

Sighing as the book did the obliging shimmer, that over the last months he had become so familiar with, that he was beginning to pick up the subtle nuances of the shimmer. And judging by that knowledge, it was some sort of nature magic. Pulling down the book Harry eyed the price sticker as he pulled out his cell.

"Hi, Dad?"

John sighed tiredly, "Something happen?"

"Just found a book that I wanted permission to get."

"Put it in a pile with anything else that catches your eye."

"How's it going?"

"Sam was right. It is something up our alley."

Harry snorted in amusement. "Sam's always right."

"Just don't tell him that."

"Yeah, we don't want him turning into Dean."

John laughed. "I'll pick you up in an hour. Stay out of trouble."

"I'll try." Putting away his cell, Harry went back to browsing the used book store.

Harry looked over the wrecked room and winced. This was bad, especially for Dean.

Acting quickly he used a quick charm that Fred and George had taught him the year before. What it did was cause the skin on the tips of the fingers to grow and shed quickly so you ended up with something like when you let glue dry on your fingers. They claimed they had needed it for getting away with pranking certain smarter muggleborns who check for prints when pranked.

Another quick charm that he had learned in the same lesson changed the fingerprints under the shed skin. Luckily Harry could just use the crazy skinshifters original prints rather than someone else's in the room.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked from where he sat next to his doppelganger.

"Giving you a plausible alibi, jerk," Harry frantically thought if there was anything else he could think of to do. "I changed his fingerprints, but made it look like he did the fake fingerprint thing from Gone in 60 Seconds. When the cops get here just stick to the truth as much as possible and let them draw the conclusions okay?"

"I get it," Sam said. "Dean, try not to be such a wiseass with the cops, okay?"

Dean glared at Sam briefly before nodding, giving into the inevitable.

Harry smiled distractedly at the middle aged couple as they came up to where he sat watching Clarrisa and Xanthia run around the playground.

"Hi I'm Detective Hamilton this is Detective MacNamara, are you Harry Winchester?" she asked.

"Yes. Can I help you with something ma'am?" Harry asked cautiously. Police coming up and asking for him by name was a bit... worrisome, but he'd see what they wanted.

The man blinked at his British accent, but continued with the interview, "Dean Winchester's brother?"

"Yes."

"You hear about the trouble he's in?"

"Yes, Dad and Sam told me," Harry said, doing as they had also told him, and not volunteering any information unless directly asked.

"So you know about his being accused of murder?" the woman asked.

"I know it doesn't make sense. We weren't even in the state when all but the last one... sorry two happened." Harry shrugged. "Did you find out why the guy attacking Rebecca looked like Dean?"

"How'd you know about that?" MacNamara asked.

"Rebecca told me. She said it really freaked her out how much he looked like Dean until the real one showed up and saved her."

"How did you meet Rebecca?" Hamilton asked.

"Sam introduced us. He got an email from her about her brother Zack so we came to check on her and see if she needed anything. We were close enough that it wasn't that big of a deal."

"What about school? It's the middle of the school year right?" she asked.

"I'm doing home school. It let's me travel with my family. We just found out about each other and I want to spend as much time getting to know them as possible."

"What about work? You're Dad and brothers have jobs right?"

"Mostly odd jobs for money as needed. Their real job doesn't really pay much at the moment, or ever really."

"And what job is that?"

"Promise not to laugh?" Harry asked, ready to tell the cops the sanitized story that the family had already agreed to.

"Sure." Hamilton said as MacNamara nodded in agreement.

"Paranormal investigations." Harry smiled at the incredulous looks the two cops gave him. "They, we, go around collecting local legends and ghost stories. Wendigo in Colorado, haunted lake in Wisconsin, that sort of thing. I'm helping organize all the legends that they've collected over the years and put them together into a book." Not a word a lie, not a word the truth. A good Winchester answer, especially with Dean currently in jail.

"I can see how that wouldn't pay much," MacNamara said. "Not until the books published anyway."

Harry shrugged and smiled. "That'd be nice, but we're being a bit more practical than that. Might as well do something with all those legends that they've spent the last twenty odd years gathering, maybe we'll make some money, maybe we won't. I'm just happy that I get to help in some way."

"But you didn't come to St. Louis looking for anything... paranormal?" Hamilton asked.

"Nope. Just to help out a friend of Sam's. We're kinda big on family and friends."

"Harry!" Clarrisa yelled as she ran up holding a large chunk of rock, thankfully not to heavy for a child of her size to carry.

"Hey Clarrisa, what do you have there?" Harry asked turning his attention to her.

"A rock!" Clarrisa said holding it out to him.

"I can see that. What do you want me to do with it?" Harry asked, thankful for both the distraction, and fact that Clarrisa was managing to act like a real kid.

"For your collection."

Harry grinned and accepted the rock, but felt grateful when he saw, or rather felt, why she wanted him to have it. "Thank you Clarrisa. I'm sure it'll make a good addition." 'Especially with the magic I can feel from it.'

Clarrisa grinned in pleasure before looking at the two watching detectives. "Who're they?"

"They're police detectives."

Clarrisa's smile turned into a frown. "They have Daddy."

"This is Dean's daughter, Clarrisa. Clarrisa this is Detective Hamilton and Detective MacNamara," Harry said, introducing everyone. He still found it funny that dad had set up Clarrisa with an identity as Dean's daughter. Sam found it funny that anyone doing any checking on Dean would believe it, even without seeing how Dean treats her.

"Nice to meet you." MacNamara said crouching down to eye level with her.

"Hi, sweety." Hamilton smiled down at the very adorable evil doll. Not that she knew that of course, she just saw a little girl.

"I don't like you." Clarrisa glared and crossed her arms with an angry pout.

"Daddy!" Clarrisa yelled happily as Dean walked out of the police station.

"Hey evil doll." Dean groaned as he picked up Clarrisa. "What have you been eating?"

"Good things." Clarrisa wrapped her arms firmly around his neck and glared at the following Detective Hamilton before turning her head into his neck.

"Hey Dean. What's with you and cops anyway?" Sam asked, grinning at the way that Dean and Clarrisa looked at that moment.

"When your popular, your popular." Dean smirked before looking over at Harry. "How you been, runt?"

"Good. Rebecca makes good pie."

"Pie? And I missed it?"

"Yup. Blackberry/apricot." Sam grinned at the glare Dean turned on him.

"Don't worry. I'll bake you your own pie tonight." Rebecca broke in. "You saved me life."

"So I get my own pie? Sweet." Dean grinned at her before turning to the waiting detective. "Thanks for the walk out."

"Just make sure to stick around for a few days in case we have more questions," Detective Hamilton ordered.

"Don't worry. There's a few things we need to do since we're here anyway," John put in.

"We do?" Dean asked in surprise.

Sam shrugged, "We don't come to St. Louis often, so we might as well not waste the trip."

"You and Dad have been plotting together?" Dean asked warily. "Oh, this can't be good."

"You sure you want to come?" Sam asked his friend worried.

"You tell me magic's real and you're going to a wizards market, and then expect me not to want to see?" Rebecca thumped Sam on the arm. "Deal we're going."

Zach smiled slight, "I'm curious what real magic's like."

Sam looked over at his dad briefly before sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Alright, fine. We ready to go?"

"Yup. Been ready, just waiting for your slow ass," Dean said.

"Should you curse in front of your daughter?" Zach asked.

"Why? It's not like she curses." Picking up Clarrisa and Xanthia he started for the door, "Let's get moving."

Harry leaned over the seats to take a closer look at the high stone wall. "That's Last Chance Market."

"Really?" Rebecca asked, "Doesn't look like much."

"It's just the outer wall," Harry shrugged, "It was built sometime around the same time as the city, I think, so the wall was kinda a necessary thing. Look, follow Dad, he'll show us where to park."

"You been here before?" Zach asked as he took the same turn as the black truck.

"A couple times since we've been in St. Louis, always with Dad or Sam though. I've got some things on backorder and stuff to check on." Harry shrugged at the looks the two gave him. "It's not often we go somewhere like this. In fact this is the first time since I've been with them."

It wasn't long before they finally pulled to a stop next to John's truck with the Impala pulling in on the other side of Zach's car.

"So a wizarding market has a parking garage?" Rebecca asked a little incredulous.

"Yeah, kinda necessary because there's nowhere to park inside." Sam shrugged.

"Don't worry, you'll see all the magic you want inside," Dean added.

"Just be careful, some people don't like for muggles." Harry sighed. "Just... don't wander off on your own."

"Muggles?" Zach asked with a frown.

"Non magical humans." Harry shrugged, "I have no idea where the term came from."

"Come on, daylights burning." John said as he led them towards the entrance to the market.

Rebecca and Zach[#1] gawked at the sights and sounds of the bustling market. It really wasn't like anything they've seen. It wasn't just the obvious magic touches, they were both very modern Americans, so had never been to a real market before.

Harry himself hadn't even seen anything like it; it defiantly wasn't like Diagon Alley, which was a small, crowded shopping district. Last Chance Market[#2], was defiantly a market, the original wall surrounding an area roughly the size of Hogsmede, including the outskirts, then after the outer wall was finished the interior was expanded as much as safely possible, leading to a huge area inside. It had been originally been founded to cater to the magic users in St. Louis, but had gotten its name and reputation for providing for the pioneers going west. Sometime around the Depression another plot of land only a mile away and roughly the same size was bought and walled in and expanded but turned into a residential area, allowing the Market to become just the Market, since the only home inside it were above or behind shops. Harry explained all this to the others.

"Harry, any ideas where to start?" Dean asked. "I haven't been here since I was seventeen."

"Well the bank I guess, I need to pick up some money, and we should probably have someone look over Clarrisa just in case."

John nodded. "Good thinking son. We need to exchange our money anyway." He especially agreed with having Clarrisa looked over. She had after all been used several times as an assassin so they should probably know all of what she is and can do.

Rebecca looked at all the mirrors in the shop before finally asking, "What do you need here?"

"I'm checking on my order. I ordered a communication mirror that will allow ghosts to use it. Apparently it's a bit of a challenge." Harry shrugged.

"Why would you want that?"

"My History of Magic professor at Hogwarts is a ghost, and I'd like to continue being tutored by him." Harry smiled slightly, "He was always really boring until I was forced to TA for him last year. I learned a lot during the one on one time. He's actually a much better teacher that way."

Rebecca was surprised but smiled. "Plus you want to just talk to him?"

Harry nodded. "That too. Hey, why don't you get a mirror too?"

"Really? What kind?"

"Here," moving a couple things on the counter he pulled out a book, "it's a catalog."

Smiling, she turned her attention to the catalog and started looking through all of the offered enchantments.

Meanwhile Harry poked around the shop as he waited for the proprietor to finish up in back.

"Here we are Mr. Winchester. Just as you ordered." Smiling brightly the balding man set two hand sized mirrors on the counter next to Rebecca. "You gave me an interesting challenge."

Harry came over and looked, "They're bigger than I thought they'd be."

"Well it's a little rough, not streamlined at all really, seeing as it's a new spell," he explained proudly.

"Then how do you know it works?"

"I've tested it of course, but it wasn't all new just the added stuff you asked for. Actually I can see a bit of a market for this in certain sectors."

"I'm happy to help. Sorry I had to put a rush on this. So this is a sort of testing copy?" Harry asked.

"Indeed, since you already said you know how to use it I'd like to cut a deal with you."

Harry frowned but nodded, "I'll hear you out, but I'd have to get my Dad to agree before I accept anything."

"Of course, of course." The proprietor nodded, glad the boy had sense, something that was needed for what he wanted, though not necessarily from his usual customers. "You mentioned that you'd probably end up using it quite a bit, so I'd like you to field test it for me. I'd give you this one and a discount on the finished product."

Harry thought it over carefully before saying anything. "Let me call my dad and you can explain it to him." Pulling out his phone he called up John.

Zach smirked at his sister, "You bought a mirror? Don't you have enough of those?"

"Not just a mirror, a magic mirror," Becky defended.

"And that's supposed to be better?" Sam teased.

"Yeah. The whole thing with the skin shifter got me paranoid, so I got a mirror that 'shows the true face of things'," she said quoting the catalogue blurb.

John nodded, "Sensible. Good job on your own purchase, Harry."

Harry just shrugged, "I was just trying to find a way to keep up with Professor Binns and maybe my friends at Hogwarts. Where is Dean?"

"Dean's still with the goblins, and they're meeting us for lunch," John said as he led them to restaurant they had agreed to meet at.

They had just put I their orders when Dean slid into the booth next to Sam and set Clarrisa between them. "Hey, sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry, we already ordered for you," Sam said before taking a drink of his water.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked curious.

"Worryingly. They got to let some tests finish running so I'll have to go back, but the overview of what they could tell me was interesting." Dean handed John the folder he had been carrying. "We've got a meeting with them tomorrow."

John nodded as he started reading through the preliminary report the goblins had given Dean.

"Sam, Harry?" a shy stuttering voice asked.

Harry's face lit up when he saw the black haired man. "Roark, what are you doing here?"

"Same as you I gather. Getting lunch between some shopping."

"You look better," Sam smiled, trying to reassure the shy man.

"Quite. I finally managed to throw off the last of my cold."

"Have a seat, son." John said as he put aside the folder. "Roark Black[#3] right? My sons told me about you."

Roark blushed but shook John's hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Roark? Seriously?" Dean asked with an amused look.

"My mother has a fondness for... old things," Roark explained.

"Well you look more like a Rory to me." Dean grinned at the confused look Roark gave him. "What? Never had a nickname before?"

"Not a nice one."

"Yeah well I think I'll stick with Rory. You really don't look like a Roark." Dean leaned back and pulled out a bag from his jacket pocket. "Here you go, Clarrisa."

"Thanks Daddy." Clarrisa opened the bag and pulled out a piece of metal to eat.

"What's that about?" Zack asked confused.

"Goblins put her on a diet." Dean shrugged. "She apparently has some mineral/magical deficiencies. It's in the folder. They could at least tell me that much."

"Why is your daughter eating metal?" Becky asked confused.

"Well she's not really a little girl." Harry explained. "She's actually a doll."

"A doll?" Becky asked slowly.

"Think of her like I do: Chucky's scarier cousin, the one that picked on him and thought his evil ways were 'cute'[#4]." Dean smirked.

Sam shook his head before adding in his two bits, "More like Pinocchio actually."

"With a side of murder." Dean snorted.

"Dean!" Sam kicked Dean in the leg with a glare.

"What? It's the truth." Dean kicked Sam back.

"Boys."

"Sorry Dad."

"Sorry."

Harry groggily put on his glasses as John went to find out who was pounding on the door.

"Roark?" John asked surprised as he stared at the obviously terrified young man. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" Roark nervously looked over his shoulder.

Frowning he stepped aside and let the black haired man in. "Something wrong?"

"Roark?" Harry asked, blinking blearily.

"Sorry to wake you but I didn't know were to go."

Finally clicking the safety on his gun John led Roark to the hotel chair and sat him down. "Why don't you tell us what's going on."

"O-okay." Roark took a deep breath than began his story.

Dear Aunt Petunia,

I'm not sure if your reading the letters I've been sending, but I need to tell someone about this last month.

To start at the beginning Sam had got an e-mail from a college friend of his saying that her brother, another friend of his had been arrested for murder. After a little convincing we decided to go to St. Lois and at least see what was going on for ourselves.

After a little poking around we were surprised to find that it was our sort of case. Long story short it was something called a skin shifter. This skin shifter would take on the appearance of a guy then go to their home and torture and kill their wife or girlfriend. Long story short it managed to take on Dean's appearance and go after Sam's friends Becky.

We managed to get there in time to stop it before it hurt her to much, but it left the cops with two Dean's. The real one and the skin shifter (who Dean killed). It took some fast work and talking all around but at least Dean isn't being blamed for the skin shifters crimes.

After the police let Dean go we decided to stick around a few days and do some shopping and sight seeing (pictures included). All in all it was turning to a nice break until a guy I meet at a book store, Roark Black, showed up at our motel room in the middle of the night.

Turns out he had just escaped from his house. His, and I hesitate to use the word, mother was going to steal his body. We don't know how long they have been doing this, other than a very long time. Roark was apparently specially bred and trained for when her current body wore out. It was all very complicated from what we pieced together, Roark having been bred for power and intelligence, and trained so that when the body jump happened she would only have a minimum of physical and magical training to do, but for Roark to have a weak enough personality that he wouldn't fight much when the time came.

On the only positive note of the entire situation, we managed to stop her from taking Roark, though we didn't get her. She disappeared to go for one of her back ups, though not before she left a 'gift' for Roark. She cursed him. He's now lame. He'll need a cane to walk for the rest of his life.

He can barely move his right leg enough to walk. According to what the healers and curse breakers managed to tell us, it somewhat limited, he can move it to keep up his physical training or to protect himself, but once he cools down again the curse slams back into place leaving him in pain for over an hour before it recedes again.

Dad says that it's more cruel to allow him those brief glimpses of freedom then to just make him permanently a cripple. I can't help but agree with him. Roark has his own body and life, but it's at a high cost. I'm not talking about his leg either. His entire worlds been shattered.

Once he was released from the hospital he came back to the hotel with us, unable to return to the house he grew up in, though it was now his. A last gift. Before she disappeared she said that he earned the right to his body, so he gets what comes with it, but only until he no longer deserves it. None of us liked the sound of that.

I like Roark. He's nice, and been a good friend in the short time I've known him, and I don't like what this has done to him. He's been really quiet the last few days. Just laying curled up on my bed petting Xanthia. To find out that his mother that he had always loved and respected only saw him as a thing. I can't really imagine what he's going through.

We talked about it last night and decided to get an apartment in the wizarding section of St. Lois so we have somewhere to stay when we pass through, which is going to be a lot more now that we have Roark to keep an eye on. So I'll soon have an address you can write to if you feel like.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter-Winchester

---

Dear Hermione,

Happy holidays.

I was wondering if you'd mind looking over the rough manuscript we managed to put together from Dad's journal and other sources. All the facts have been checked so before you say anything, everything in there we know works. I just want you to look it over see if it makes sense (Dad writes like Yoda speaks) and if there's anything you think should be added. If you do have anything to add please put in the quote and source and we'll check it out and see if it works or is true.

As to what you asked in your last letter, the family's fine. They're all very nice, though I don't think that Molly would like dad. She doesn't like to see anyone getting in trouble and tends to ignore circumstances. Dad not really having much of a choice other than letting the thing that killed his wife get away would dissuade her.

Dad's nice, serious, and driven, but he cares deeply for his family. Even if he is friends with Snape. Which still really gets to me by the way.

Dean's really cool, and been teaching me the family magic, which he's really good at. Even if the Winchesters apparently only learn to get control of their magic then mostly ignore it once their trainings complete. Even with all of us being hunters they still do it the mundane way. Though Dean's been learning from me, enough so that we actually went and got him his own wand so he'd stop borrowing mine.

Sam reminds me a lot of you with Ron's temper thrown in. He's really smart, enough so that he got into Stanford on a full ride. I think you'd like him. Even if he is angry at Dean at the moment because Dean was going through my trunk and found the Monster Book of Monsters and decided that Sam should have a pet. So he's now being followed around by a book whenever it gets out (which is a lot between Dean, Clarrisa, and me).

Clarrisa is still adorably evil. And turning very much into Dean's daughter. Which Sam snickers about until Dean points out that she won't grow up so she'll always be his evil little girl. That always causes Sam to make what Dean calls Sam's "bitch face". Although we did have Clarrisa looked over by gobin curse breakers to make sure that she won't kill and eat us or anything. So Clarrisa is now an officially registered magical sentient (I included a copy of the list of books they gave us). So she's an official member of the family with full rights.

Xanthia's been going through some sort of growth spurt so has been spending a lot of time in her hell kitty form as Dean calls it. It's a little annoying cause we have to hide her from the muggles, she takes up a lot more room in the car, and she sheds all over everything. Not to mention she's been hunting a lot when we stop for the night. So I don't want to know what all she's catching.

Anyway, sorry I won't be seeing you for the holidays. We've decided to go to the Roadhouse for Christmas, though if you can get permission you can come over to meet everyone in person.

I hope school's going well for you, and you're actually taking breaks from studying.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Harry Potter-Winchester

---

Dear Ron,

Do not under any circumstances let Hermione know the magazines I sent you even exist, let alone that you got them from me.

Now that that's out of the way enjoy the skin magazines Dean got me to give you.

I actually got to see a quodpot match and it was wicked. Not as good as actual quidditch, but then, what is?

I also included pictures of various places I've been, both muggle and magical. Hope you enjoy. I put a place and date on the back of each.

How're things going at school? Malfoy giving you to hard of a time? Hermione making you study too hard?

Sorry I'm not going back for Christmas, but maybe you can come see me at the Roadhouse. I'd really like to introduce you to everyone.

If you want take a look at what I sent Hermione, me Dad and brothers have run into all of those things. Or at least know someone that did.

Sorry this is short, but we need to check out and I'm sending off Hedwig.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Harry Potter-Winchester

[#1] Rebecca and Zack: I had some stuff planned for St. Lois so Rebecca and Zack are ending up to play a much bigger part than I had initially planned, and now that I'm using them I kinda like them.
[#2] Last Chance Market: It was built originally along the lines of an old west fort though the wooden walls were soon replaced with stone. It overtime went from wizard frontier fort to trading outpost. In current times there are no homes within the walls of the market, though there are a couple inns, to make use of the protections built into the place to use for the market. There are a few connected neighborhoods in St. Lois that are wizarding residential areas.
[#3] Roark Black: To save time describing him Roark's character is based heavily off of Wesley Windham-Pryce from Buffy. I'm going to have to do a side story at some point to go into more detail about what is mentioned happening to him in this chapter.
[#4] : Yes I am reusing the line. For two reasons: I really like it, and it's the perfect description of her.