Chapter Text
Dean looked at the letter that had been flown into their dingy motel room in the beak of an owl of all insane things. He really had almost shot the thing, now he was only slightly glad that he hadn’t. Even without the exceptionally strange and magical delivery method, he would still have believed the contents of the letter because magic was the only explanation that he was willing to accept. Oh, he knew magic existed! He and his family were hunters, so he knew how to kill without mercy all those magical creepy crawlies who wanted to eat you alive from the time he was four. But this…this was different.
Dean held out the letter to his brother. It had been addressed to Sam, but Dean had opened it first just in case it was cursed or booby trapped or laced with poison or whatever other thing his over-active and paranoid imagination could provide that someone who would deliver a letter via owl might do. The thing was…this made the most sense of anything he’d heard or of his own wild guesses. And frankly...this was less concerning than all those guesses.
“This isn’t true,” Sam protested with something like panic in his eyes. “It’s…it’s a scam or a prank or I don’t know…we burn it and just don’t ever talk about it again!”
Dean just sadly shook his head though. “Sam, we both know it’s true. That ghoul last week…you dropped your knife, but it flew into the beast before I could get to you. Knives don’t just jump off the ground and into a ghoul. And you know that wasn’t the first time something like that’s happened around you.”
Sam was frantically shaking his head though. “No, I can’t because…because…” he looked around frantically like looking for an escape more than an answer, but thankfully it was just the two of them in the motel room, so escape wasn’t needed. He lowered his voice though as if someone could hear when he looked at Dean with pleading eyes. “Because then I’m bad…I don’t want to be bad,” he sniffed.
Dean just sank to his knees in front of where Sam was sitting on the bed with a pained sigh. “Sammy…you aren’t bad. You hear me, don’t you ever think that again,” he said with as much feeling as he could put behind the words. “You’re my little brother, and you’re the farthest thing from bad that’s ever existed. You are perfect just the way you are, and I'll punch anyone who says different.”
“But…dad…” Sam shook his head still.
“Hey…” Dean sighed, always having to undo all their father had done with the kid, and he knew he still wasn’t getting it right. “The way I see it…we know magic exists, right? Well, we only ever see the nasty things that are killing people all over, but I bet there’s a lot of things out there just living their best lives not harming anyone else, and we just never have a reason to see them. I bet there’s a whole lot of witches and wizards out there who’re just like normal people and not trying to kill everyone around them.”
Sam sniffed from where he’d definitely been tearing up, and Dean was thankful once again their father was out on a hunt. He just wiped the tear off Sam’s cheek and patted his knee in comfort. “You think?” His brother asked hopefully.
“I know,” he said firmly. “I know because I know my little brother, and you, Sam Winchester, are good.”
Sam gave him a little wavering smile. “But…I can’t go to magic school. Dad won’t allow it. He won’t…he won’t want me to be a wizard.” And his brother was exactly right there, but Dean didn’t plan on telling their father either. That way led to certain doom, and they were going to avoid that with all they had.
He shook his head slowly. “Sam…I think you have to go,” he said slowly, already having thought this over when he read the letter. The way it sounded in the letter, training Sam’s powers was very important to him being able to control them. And if Sam didn’t have control…then there was no way they could keep this from their dad. “You have to learn to control these powers and learn how to be one of those good wizards that none of the people like me and Dad will ever have to run across.”
“We can’t afford this school though, it’s boarding school and has to be expensive,” Sam shook his head again and just shoved the letter back at Dean, clearly not wanting to get his hopes up. Sam was smart though, and he had a future, and Dean would be damned before he let anything stand in the way of that, himself and their father included.
“It says tuition and board are free,” Dean shook his head. “The letter says something about the schooling being paid for by this MACUSA organization or whatever. Anyway, it’ll actually be cheaper for you to go there than public school where we still have to buy your lunches.”
Sam just scoffed though. “Dean…I doubt we can get my school supplies at the local thrift store…we can’t afford this even if food is cheaper.”
Actually, it was even worse than that. Dean was already getting the sinking feeling that wherever this Ilvermorny place was, it wasn’t far enough away from their father. Magical school or not, Dean wanted an ocean between his baby brother and their father if John Winchester ever found out his son was a wizard. John wasn’t likely to get on an airplane for any reason, so Dean would only be comfortable if a car couldn't physically get to Sam no matter how magical this school might be. So, yeah, this was going to be exceptionally expensive. It was money they didn’t have but which Dean was determined to get anyway.
“Sam, you know Dad,” he said slowly, hoping this wouldn’t come across like he was trying to get rid of his brother, because he most definitely wasn’t. It was the opposite actually. He needed Sam alive and well for at least Dean’s entire lifetime and much longer if he had anything to say about it. “I think…if you’re going to go to a magic school and learn to be a wizard…buddy, I think we need to look international to keep you safe.”
Sam just sucked in a breath between his teeth and shook his shaggy head. Dean needed to get the kid a haircut, maybe he should try cutting it himself again. It hadn’t been too terrible last time…
“Well, we really can’t afford that Dean,” Sam protested vehemently. “I get what you’re saying, but Dean…seriously, did Dad even leave us money for food this time?”
Dean just rolled his eyes and stood. “You let me worry about that and where any money we need comes from. Now, how do we contact these people? They have to know about other schools. We can say the family is moving to South America or Europe or something…how’s your Spanish?”
Sam glared at him, clearly saying not that good before they both looked out the window the owl had already flown out of. Well, there was a problem. How did they get a message back? Sam looked back at the letter and flipped it over before his face brightened in relief.
“A phone number!” He held it back up, both of them letting out a laugh of relief at the block of contact information with multiple ways for them to get in touch with the school. Well, thankfully he didn’t have to track down another owl and convince the stupid bird to carry a letter to someone he didn’t even know.
“Right, well you just go back to your nerd book, and I’ll handle this tomorrow,” Dean said, taking the letter and saying with much more confidence than he felt, but that was just how he lived his life at this point. “And Sam…never, and I mean never say anything about this where Dad might hear anything.”
“Well, duh,” Sam rolled his eyes but did pick up his large book again. “We should have a code word just in case…like…the park?”
“The library,” Dean suggested after a moment of thought. “Then we can talk about books and learning and all and still be safe.”
“Cool,” Sam nodded firmly right before looking up at Dean with those huge hazel eyes of his. “Hey Dean…thanks…thanks for, you know…not wanting to kill me.”
Dean literally felt his heart breaking. They were some kind of fucked up family where his baby brother could say something like that and mean it and it make perfect sense. Dean hated having to deal with feelings, he just wasn’t equipped, but he’d do this for Sam, anything for Sam.
“Look, Sammy…Dad put you in my arms way back when I was four and told me I was to take care of you, and that’s my job,” he said with all the seriousness he felt at that knowledge. “Nothing’s ever going to change that. Taking care of you will always be my job.”
“Dean,” Sam just gave him some kind of pained look that Dean didn’t understand in the slightest. “You’re fifteen,” he said in explanation.
Dean just shrugged, still not understanding. What the hell did that matter?! He’d been taking care of Sam since he was four, and that was what he’d do until Sam didn’t need him anymore, then he’d still try to take care of the brat, it’d probably just be harder then.
“Whatever,” he scoffed and flopped onto his bed to plan. This was big dealings and a lot of money, so he needed some time to think.
“Sam, I called the library for you today,” Dean said as he came into their motel room a few days later carrying milk and cereal for their breakfasts.
“Dad’s still gone on that hunt,” Sam said, turning off the TV with an expectant look in his eyes. School had ended a while ago for the summer, and they were still stuck in the middle of nowhere Nebraska until their dad came back, so there wasn’t much to do currently besides hustle pool and watch TV.
Dean put the milk in their small, mini-fridge and then pulled over a chair to sit beside Sam. “Right, so I talked to Ilvermorny then, and apparently there are these magic schools all over the world.”
It had actually been almost too easy to convince the lady that he was Sam’s guardian. He put on his normal, extra gravelly voice he used to pass himself off as older and Sam’s dad with schools, and the lady who answered the phone didn’t sound suspicious at all. She had been concerned when he asked about international schools though, but Dean had said he was military, and they were about to move to Europe with his job. She then listed off a whole slew of schools for them to choose from.
It didn’t take him long to rule out all the schools which didn’t speak English because, while Sam could probably pick up the language really fast knowing his huge brain, Dean would still have to talk to the school sometimes, and he wasn’t as smart as his brother. Then, the lady had practically gushed over Hogwarts in Britain, so well, that’s just where Sam was going to have to go then. If it was the best, then that’s where Sam needed to be.
“How does merry old England sound?” He smiled when Sam’s face lit up. “Well…I think the school is actually in Scotland, but it’s the British…”
He was cut off with an 'oof' when Sam slammed into him in a hug. They weren’t a very hugging family, but he laughed and patted Sam on the back anyway, glad his brother was happy. He’d miss the little leech like he’d miss his own shooting arm, but this really was the only safe option for the kid. If Sam didn’t get training, his accidental magic would only get worse, and the Ilvermorny lady had clearly supported that opinion. John would eventually find out, and that was where the danger lay.
“Ok, ok, I can’t breathe here,” he fake-coughed like he really was out of air. Sam laughed but did finally let him go though.
“Anyway, the Ilvermorny lady said she’d do something called ‘floo’ call the Hogwarts people…yeah, weird name, I know! Some kind of magical telephone thing,” He laughed at Sam’s look. “Anyway, I’m to call back tomorrow, and she’ll give me a number for someone there I can call and see about getting you enrolled.”
“I actually get to go to school…and stay there for more than a few months,” Sam smiled, showing all his perfectly straight teeth, and wasn’t that just a blessing because Dean absolutely couldn’t afford any dental work.
“Nerd,” Dean accused his brother fondly. Education really hadn’t been in the cards for Dean, but Sam, he deserved to graduate from somewhere and actually do something good with his life. It might be a magical school, but maybe it really was the solution for all this, a way to finally get his brother out of the life for good.
It was a week later before Dean could call the number the Ilvermorny lady had given him. Their dad had finally shown up, two weeks late, from the hunt he’d been on and moved them to middle of nowhere North Dakota this time. It was basically the same town and the same crappy motel, just in a different state. Anyway, John Winchester had once again left them alone, so Dean dropped off his brother at the actual library and made his way to a pay phone with a pocket full of quarters to make this enormously expensive international call.
He put the ridiculous amount of quarters in the phone and dialed the number, hoping this professor-guy was at home because he couldn’t keep using their money this way, not when he was saving for a flight to England now. The call connected though after only a few rings, and a silky and deep voice answered on the other end. “Hello, Snape residence.”
Dean couldn’t help his smile at the voice alone. He couldn’t let himself get distracted though. “Hello, uh…Professor Snape?” He asked, really hoping this was the right guy.
“This is he. To whom may I ask am I speaking?” The man asked, and Dean just wanted to keep listening to this guy. Damn, but if he already wasn’t sure he wasn’t exactly straight and just not thinking about it, well…
“Oh, hi, this is Dean Winchester,” he said with his extra gravel added into his tone. He had spoken with Sam, and they’d decided on a slight spin to the truth instead of an outright lie this time. The school was never going to actually meet Dean, so they could tell more truth than they normally would. Also, he knew how Sam spoke about him when he wasn’t thinking. Sam would talk about how Dean made breakfast and bought his clothes and generally took care of them…and CPS had been called more than once, and they’d had to leave town when the school knew both of them and knew that Dean was only four years older than Sam. But this school, they didn’t need to know that.
“I’m Sam Winchester’s brother and legal guardian,” he said. “He was just recently admitted to Ilvermorny, but we determined that a school in Europe would be a better fit with our situation, so we were routed to you.”
“Who you were instructed to call last week,” Snape drawled accusingly but also with some interest added in. Interest Dean could work with, he just needed this guy on board. “Now, I was led to understand that Samuel was your son, but he’s your…brother?”
“Circumstances didn’t allow me to call until now; I do have a busy schedule. And, yes, I have custody of my baby brother,” he said in a tone that didn’t allow for questions. “Our mother died in a house fire and our father…well, he isn’t fit for custody.”
There, the guy could make of that what he would. But it was all true…well, if you looked at it just right and squinted. “Now, about this school…uh, Hogwarts, right? What do I need to do to get Sam enrolled?”
There was some shuffling on the other end of the line as if the man had moved to sit down somewhere. “We accept all magical students who have enough of a magical core to receive a letter from any school, so admittance is not an issue. After a few details we can discuss now over the phone, I can get your brother’s information filed and have him transferred from Ilvermorny’s rosters.”
“The Ilvermorny lady said your school has free tuition just like theirs,” he said in a desperately questioning tone. They definitely couldn’t pull this off if he had to pay room and board. A plane ticket and school supplies were already too much.
“She was correct,” the man said, prompting what was probably an audible sigh from Dean. It was just, that was his main worry and concern. “I take it funds are a little tight?” he asked in a tone that wasn’t unkind in the slightest, just neutrally concerned.
“You can say that again,” Dean grunted. “Look, I just need to get him enrolled and a list of supplies, and I’ll handle the rest after that. When does school start?”
“The train departs for the school term on September 1st,” Snape said promptly. Dean was once more relieved because he had extra time to get the money than he’d first thought since American schools normally started in early August.
The man wasn’t done though. “Mr. Winchester…I understand you are a muggle…what we call people without magic, I would like to ask…what are your thoughts on Samuel being a wizard? I understand all this must have come as a shock, that magic exists and your brother can use it.”
Dean just snorted a laugh. “Actually, it made a hell of a lot of sense; those were and are my thoughts. Sam’s been having some accidental magic for a couple years now, and I was getting really concerned, it was good to hear that this’s why and not something else.”
He could hear a change in tone from the other man. “But you weren’t surprised that magic existed?”
Damn this guy was good, Dean was going to have to be extra careful to not give away his age. That was really the only thing they cared about not coming out, but it was vitally important that no one knew or even thought to contact John Winchester. So, maybe just a little more of the truth to help the guy understand and not want to dig deeper.
“Not particularly,” he drawled in the same tone the man had been using. “Not in my line of work anyway.”
“And what may I ask is your line of work where you would regularly encounter magic as a muggle?” Snape asked expectantly. And well, they’d come up with a lie for this, but Dean was starting to be very certain the truth was a much better way to go with this man, and he trusted his gut in situations such as these.
“I’m a hunter, my whole family is,” he said, not regretting telling the truth because people were going to have questions about Sam’s knowledge and skills, and it was probably best a faculty member at Sam’s school knew. It would be better they knew upfront than guess when Sam was at the school and without Dean there to protect him. They had to know what hunters were, being who they were and with what they could do.
There was silence on the other end of the line. “You hunt…deer?” The man asked, clearly knowing that wasn’t what Dean hunted.
“No,” he said simply. “As you can see, it is imperative to get my brother a little farther away from the rest of our family,” he said, meaning their father and really no one else since they were all alone.
The man sucked in a hiss of a breath but let the silence hang for a second. “But you don’t wish harm to your brother?”
“Hell no! Sammy is good, and I’ll not have anyone else say anything against that!” He angrily railed. “We kill monsters who are killing innocent people, but I reckon there are people out there with magic who don’t kill innocents, and they can just be left alone. But I do know that other hunters…well, they don’t think the same way, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect Sam from them.”
“You are much more enlightened than many of your kind then, Mr. Winchester,” Snape said in a hesitantly approving tone.
“Just, Dean, jeez!” He rolled his eyes. “Now, logistics, where does Sam need to be on September 1st? You said there was a train?”
It turned out Sam needed to get to London Heathrow on August 31st where Snape himself would pick up Sammy from the airport and take him school shopping in some kind of magical shopping district. It didn’t sound like this Snape guy would normally be the one to do that, but Dean also got the impression he might have been one of the few people at the school who knew how to work a ‘muggle’ phone from the guy’s off-handed grumblings about his coworkers.
Anyway, plane, shopping, then Snape would set Sam up at this place call the Leaky Cauldron for the night where the guy kept assuring Dean that Sam would be looked after, but Dean just scoffed and said Sam could look after himself. Really, Sam could probably look after himself better than most adults at this point, even if Dean was going to worry regardless, which he told Snape in no uncertain terms.
“Mr. Winchester…Dean,” Snape corrected himself. “I must ask that your brother keep any…weapons to a minimum on his person. I doubt even I could find all of them in his luggage with what I assume his training has been.”
“Damn right!” Dean proudly stated. “Sam can handle himself with or without weapons, but I’ll tell him to leave the guns at home anyway.”
“I suppose that is all I can ask,” Snape said in a long-suffering way that Dean could tell was actually joking. He was starting to really like this guy, even more than from just his voice and accent alone. He hoped the guy was hot, not that he’d ever see him or that Dean would ever admit to not being straight, but whatever, he could still hope and fantasize.
“So, Professor Snape…what do you teach at this magic school, anyway? I bet it’s a really interesting subject,” he said in what could be construed as a flirtatious tone because this guy didn’t know he was too young, and they were an ocean apart, might as well have some fun.
“Severus,” he corrected, and Dean smiled even broader and slammed another quarter into the payphone because this was just getting good. “And I teach Potions and am currently the head of Slytherin House, which is one of four houses your brother can be sorted into to live and study within during his time at Hogwarts.”
Snape explained the houses to Dean who just nodded along already trying to figure where his brother would end up. Dean whistled about Snape’s job titles though because that sounded impressive even if he didn’t know what it meant. “I’ll have to tell Sam to try to get into this Slytherin House thing then.”
Snape chuckled, and it was just as good as Dean had thought it would be. “Oh Dean, your brother is a hunter who is a wizard…he is going to be in Slytherin. Don’t you worry about that. I just hope the rest of my house can handle it.”
Dean scoffed though. “Sam can make friends wherever, he’s a people person, and smart. Don’t you worry, he’ll make your house proud or whatever.”
“He better…I have been told I’m a very strict teacher.”
Dean might be having a mild stroke. Right, this was getting very good. It was probably best to hang up now before he said anything to end it. Go out on a high note, that was his motto, and always leave them wanting more.
“Severus,” he said lowly. “I have to go now, but I’ll call back when I have Sam’s flight number and time to tell you.”
“I look forward to it,” Snape said before promptly hanging up.
Dean let out a breath and an unhinged laugh as he leaned against the payphone in the parking lot of an abandoned Circle K. This was just hilarious and wonderful, and he really hoped Sam had a hell of a time at that school because he really wanted to call this guy back to coordinate flights for years to come. Well, just not too good of a time where he got in trouble because Dean couldn’t afford to go to England, was never going to step on one of those death traps called planes, and well, this Snape guy could literally never see him and not have the fantasy bubble burst.
He strode off whistling towards the library because all was set now. Everything was figured out except for the money for the plane ticket, Sam’s supplies, and how the hell he was going to tell John Winchester…but hey, those were problems for future Dean. Present Dean just got to flirt with a British man who had a super-sexy, silky voice, and he was going to ride that high for the rest of the day.
The Winchesters never went too long before they were eventually in the vicinity of a city again. Thankfully, for what Dean had planned, they just so happened to be close to Las Vegas this time. He really couldn’t have hoped for a better location. Currently, he was spending much more time than usual on his hair with a lot more product. That in connection with the tightest jeans he owned and a black button-up shirt with only the last button or two at the bottom buttoned, and Dean personally thought he looked ridiculous. It would serve his purposes well though.
“I was going to ask if you were planning to rob a bank, but you picked the wrong outfit for that,” Sam leaned in the doorway of the small bathroom in their motel room and definitely was turning judgy eyes on him.
Dean just scoffed. “I’m going to hustle some pool and relieve some poor tourists of their hard-earned money at the poker tables,” he told his brother truthfully. He was going to do that…just not only that. That was all Sam needed to know though.
Sam snorted a laugh. “Still…you could at least button a few more buttons, and I don’t think even in Vegas you’re going to get enough for a plane ticket and all my supplies just from cards and pool.”
“I’m very good, and this is Vegas,” Dean ruffled Sam’s hair dismissively and left the bathroom, calling himself good enough. “Now, I’ll probably be gone for a few days. There is plenty of food in the fridge and money on the counter…”
Dean winced; he didn’t like the way that sounded. It sounded exactly like what their dad told them when he went away for some indeterminate amount of time. He dug his wallet out of his pocket and took another $20 out because he was paranoid after being burned so often before, even if he really couldn’t spare the money. “Here, just in case I’m longer than I think I’ll be,” he handed it over.
Sam just took it, giving him a knowing look. “I’ll be fine Dean. I’ll probably just go to the library most days and see if I can find anything that even remotely mentions the magical world in a legitimate way. Don’t worry about me.”
Dean just snorted. “I’m not worried. I know you can look after yourself.”
“Then take me with you,” Sam said again for probably the tenth time. “I can hustle pool too.”
Dean sighed because Sam really, really couldn’t come with him this time. “There is no way in hell I can make you look old enough to get into the casinos. I just barely get in there with my fake ID.”
Sam pouted even though he’d deny it if Dean called him on it. Dean thought it was very cute of his baby brother. “Hey,” he said seriously, stopping at the door. “Go over it with me again, if anything supernatural happens and you get scared, what do you do?”
“Call Bobby and ask him to send a hunter,” Sam sighed and recited in a mocking tone.
“Uh, huh…and if something happens not supernatural and you’re scared?” Dean crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
“That’s what shotguns are for,” Sam smirked.
“You got that!” Dean smiled. “And if Dad comes back before I do?” Not that he would. John Winchester had never once been back early from a hunt.
Sam rolled his eyes, clearly thinking the same thing. “You’re just one town over taking out a ghoul and will be back by morning.”
And Dean hoped he actually was for all their sakes if that happened. “Good, don’t open the door for strangers. Don’t let in housekeeping. And at least attempt to watch some trash TV instead of reading the whole time.”
“Yes, Mom,” Sam rolled his eyes and smirked.
Dean snorted a laugh but finally opened the door and stepped outside. He allowed himself one moment of dread for what he was going to have to do before he shut off all emotion and strode forward towards the bus station. No matter what, he was coming back with all the money Sam needed to get to England and buy what he needed for school. He really hoped wizards had second-hand stores too though.
Dean stepped back into the dingy motel room and spared a glance around. He was immediately grateful Sam was nowhere to be seen. There was a note on the table saying he was at the library, predictably. Dean needed just a little while alone to recover some of his composure. He needed a moment to come down from the last few days.
Taking his wallet out of his pocket, Dean took all the money, enough for what they needed, and shoved it into the bottom of Sam’s backpack. It was the last place John would look for any money, and it was Sam’s anyway. If that money was taken though…that wasn’t something he could come back from.
With the money safely hidden, Dean stripped off his clothes and dumped them straight into the trash can. He was never wearing them again anyway. He then turned the shower on as hot as it would go and stepped in. He was never going to get clean, not from the back alleys, the hotel rooms, all the different hands and bodies, not from the smoke and the alcohol, there wasn’t enough soap in the entire motel.
One sob, that was all he was allowed. One sob and one tear. Dean stood in the hot water and pulled himself together. Everything was fine. Sam was going to school; they had the money, and now they just needed a plane ticket. One step at a time, and they were moving forward.
Frankly, Dean was a little hurt by the lack of faith Sam had in him to get the money. He’d always gotten what Sam needed for him whether that was food, shoes, school supplies or whatever. Yeah, it might not be the best and was always second hand…or possibly stolen, but still, he got it for his baby brother. All hurt feelings were made up for with the huge hug Sam wrapped Dean in, thankfully not noticing the wince Dean involuntarily made at the contact. Right, so now they just had to figure out how to buy a plane ticket.
Dean didn’t want his brother to have to change planes, so after doing a little research (well actually Sam doing that research) they determined that it would be best to get a flight from Chicago O’Hare direct to Heathrow. A teenager and a preteen couldn’t just show up at an airport and buy an international plane ticket though, even with Dean’s excellent fake ID that said he was 18. So, Sam ended up getting his very first bank account with the money Dean had gotten him deposited in it. It was a paper trail, but not one that Dean thought their father would even think to track.
After they figured out the bank account situation, it was only a few phone calls later, and Samuel Winchester officially had a roundtrip ticket to London and back for when the school year would end on June 1st. Dean wasn’t going to count on his brother being stranded in a foreign country for the summer, so it was a roundtrip ticket or nothing in his opinion. Then, Dean had about nine months to figure out how he was going to pick up Sam and work that out with their father and still keep the peace. That was future Dean’s problem though, and he had time.
Sam’s passport thankfully came to the post office box Dean had set up for it in Chicago well before his trip, and then it was just a waiting game, and hiding everything from John Winchester until then. It didn’t help that American schools started in early August though.
“You have you and Sam registered for school here, right?” John Winchester asked when they unpacked the car into their dingy motel room in Indiana this time. At least they were relatively close to Chicago, a long bus ride, but at least possible.
“Yes, sir,” Dean nodded firmly, thankful that Sam turned away to look in his bag since he was terrible at not showing the guilty look on his face. Sam was just going to have to do a month of ‘muggle’ school before going to England because there was no way someone wouldn't notice an 11-year-old wandering around when school was officially in session. And they absolutely couldn’t afford another visit from CPS, not with how much they were currently hiding from John.
John just nodded though and took a swig of what was probably whiskey from a flask. “I’ll probably be gone for a few weeks this time. There’s what looks like a vetala just a couple towns over and then what might be a demonic possession a few towns past that,” he remarked, already grabbing his things as if to leave even though they’d literally just walked into the room.
With any luck though, John would be gone well past when Sam would leave for school since he never once under-estimated the time a hunt would take. “Here,” John pulled some bills out of his wallet. “You’re in charge, Dean. Protect your brother.”
“Yes, sir,” Dean took the money with a solemn promise that that’s exactly what he was going to do, even if that meant protecting him from John himself.
“Good man,” John turned on his heel and left after a clap to Sam’s back and ruffle of his hair.
Dean looked at the money and sighed. Fifty dollars for what was probably a month for both of them when their dad should have realized they’d need school supplies too. Well, at least the motel room was paid up for a month, he’d thankfully seen his father do that at least.
“We can use some of the money in my bank account,” Sam offered with a wince at the money Dean had been counting.
Dean shook his head though because they would absolutely not be doing that. “Who knows how much cauldrons and wands and things cost. You need all that money, little dude. I think I saw a pool hall down the street; I’ll hustle us up some more money for food. At least we don’t need to buy you non-magical school supplies.”
Sam frowned, but what else were they going to do? Dean was doing the best he could, and he had alternative revenue streams if it came down to it, but that was always last resort. He’d do what he had to do so that Sam was taken care of for this last month, then at least one of them would be far away and safe and fed and getting an education. Sam deserved that, and Dean would absolutely make sure it happened.
It took a few days before he was able to reach Severus Snape at home again on his phone. The man must be busy over the summer, but Dean finally caught him again in mid-August to convey Sam’s flight information. “Mr. Winchester,” Severus Snape drawled in that silky voice of his that made Dean shiver every time.
“Dude, Dean, I told you that,” he laughed. “Well, you free to pick up the ankle biter at 10am your time at the airport?”
“I will be there,” Severus said with what sounded like a smile in his tone, or maybe that was just wishful thinking. “I do not know how much you fly, but I recommend any weapons be placed in your brother’s checked bag and not his carry on.”
“Yeah, yeah, I did actually check into that,” Dean grumbled. Traveling with weapons was going to be a hassle with security, but not something they couldn’t manage. Frankly, Dean was shocked there wasn’t more security. “And I promised I’d keep the weapons to a minimum, I remember, but I’m not sending my baby brother to another country and a magical school without any protection.”
Severus huffed a small laugh. “We will be purchasing him a wand, and Defense Against the Dark Arts is actually a class he will be required to take. Spells will be more effective protection in any kind of magical confrontation than a blade will be.”
Dean shrugged in the phone booth even though he knew the man couldn’t see him. “Well, I want Sam protected against dark arts, light arts, and random muggers too.”
“I assure you, Dean, your brother is safe with me. I will get him to the school without incident,” Severus said solemnly, and damn, but Dean actually believed him. He didn’t believe anyone, but something about this man, and he actually did believe he would keep his little brother safe.
“Yeah, well,” Dean grumbled, remembering to keep that gravelly tone in his voice to make himself sound older. “Just, you know…keep to the second-hand stores, will you? I got him as much money as I could, but it’s not like my job pays well, you know.”
“I assure you, I’m quite familiar with shopping for Hogwarts on a tight budget,” Severus said, and Dean got the feeling this was from his own personal experience. Man, but if he didn’t already feel connected to this random British man, he did now.
“Now, let’s discuss next year,” Severus began, making Dean’s brain short out for a second because he could absolutely not think that far ahead! That way led to insanity.
“What?”
“Well, a plane ticket was best for your brother this year since he’s never interacted with the magical world before,” Severus began. “However, a portkey may be best for you to arrange for him to return to school for his second year. They are much cheaper, easier, and can be obtained through MACUSA at any of their branch offices in the States.”
Ok, so that was actually a good year-from-now thought. He breathed out a sigh of relief because he wasn’t up for another Vegas trip any time in the near future, really ever again if he could avoid it. He had been certain he would need to go that route once again though for Sam’s next plane ticket, but if this portkey thing was much cheaper, then maybe he could save enough over the course of the year to pay for it if he tightened his belt a little and went without just a little more.
“Dude, you may have just saved my bacon,” he found himself admitting maybe too honestly. “I’ll call the Ilvermorny lady again and check into that portkey thing unless you know someone else who can use a phone on this side of the ocean?”
“Headmistress Dophrey can direct you to someone in the portkey office,” Severus assured him, and Dean was so very glad he kept that lady’s number. “Maybe ask if she has an auror contact too, they are our magical police force…just in case you run into a magical being you could use some back-up with.”
Dean rolled his eyes and grumbled at that. He was quite capable of handling his own business, thank you very much. Although…it may be best to have a contact if he or his dad ran into a magical person causing problems but who didn’t deserve to get ganked…he’d never called the cops on a person before, but maybe it would be nice to not have killing as the only option.
Right so, the man he was never going to meet in his life… “Aw, Severus…you’re worried about little ol’ me,” he flirted shamelessly. “I don’t think anyone has ever seen me as the damsel in distress before. I think I might just be honored.”
That got a chuckle from way over in England. “Oh, Dean, if you knew more about me, I’m sure you wouldn’t feel honored in the slightest,” he said. “Most people would find speaking with me to be enormously distasteful.”
Dean just rolled his eyes. “Dude, you already know I’m a hunter who kills the magical equivalent of serial killers for a living, so I don’t think literally anything about you is going to scare me off. You’re basically a chemistry teacher at a stuffy boarding school.”
“A little history lesson then…” Severus said lowly, that voice doing all kinds of wonderful things to Dean. “The magical world in England was at war only a decade ago. It was becoming a civil war with a split between dark and light families, fighting along bigotry and magical alignment…I chose the wrong side.”
“Ah,” Dean intoned, understanding even if he really didn’t have much information or context at all. “But you’re allowed to teach at a school now, even if you were on the wrong side.”
“I turned spy, for many reasons…some better than others. It is what kept me out of prison and in relatively good standing with society,” Severus said, making Dean now feel all kinds of things. This man was a literal spy! Ok, so that was now going to feature in his fantasies for a long time to come.
Dean chuckled, which he knew confused the other man. “Well, I suppose my little brother is safe shopping for school supplies with you then,” he concluded. “I’ll tell Sam to be relatively more respectful of you. We were raised to poke at dangerous things, so I’ll tell him to be slightly less obnoxious with his poking at least.”
That got a genuine and very surprised laugh from the man. “Merlin…Hogwarts is not going to know what to do with a hunter, and I find I am quite looking forward to it,” Severus eventually said.
Dean was very sad to find that he was running out of change for the phone. “Look, I have to go, but how can Sam get in touch with me at school if he needs to? It doesn’t sound like you all use phones.”
“Magic and technology do not mix well,” Severus explained. “The owls we use are very magical though, unlike normal birds. They can cross continents quite quickly, and Sam is welcome to use the school owls to mail you. You can either send the same owl back or Headmistress Dophrey can direct you to where to find owl post offices in the States if you ask. Even as a muggle, you can use them since muggleborns are quite common in all countries.”
“Awesome,” Dean breathed out, thankful there was a way he could still talk with Sam. Sending Sam away was necessary for his own safety and well-being, but that didn’t mean Dean actually wanted him to leave at all. Dean wanted his little brother right beside him, but he’d do this to protect the little brat; he’d do anything.
“Be safe, Dean,” Severus said softly before the call disconnected. Dean just blinked, was the dude actually worried about him? Huh…that was new.
The end of August came faster than Dean would like. The day finally got there where Sam would no longer show up to muggle school and needed to get on an airplane for his new adventure. They had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn to catch a bus to ride into Chicago, but Sam excitedly pulled Dean out of bed, and they grabbed his backpack and small duffel bag to check before leaving the motel their father had dropped them off in.
Dean was very proud of himself that he didn’t cry. He helped Sam check his bag and saw him off at the gate to the plane. Sam definitely got a little misty and sniffly though when he gave Dean a quick hug and went down the tunnel to take him to the terrifying flying contraption that was supposedly taking him to London. They could do this though. Sam would be safe, Dean would deal with their dad, and magic school would never know what hit it.
It was another long bus ride back alone, leaving Dean beyond exhausted when he stumbled into the motel room once more. Unfortunately, it wasn’t empty though…John Winchester sat on the end of Dean’s bed, clearly less than sober, and looked past Dean when he stepped into the room.
“Where’s your brother?” John predictably asked, making it clear that Dean only mattered to take care of Sam, and that was it.
“Gone,” Dean said simply, crossing his arms and waiting for the fallout. “Far away from here. He got into a boarding school, somewhere he can actually learn something instead of moving every month or two.”
John was standing now, looming over Dean dangerously. “What did you say, boy?” he growled in a tone that would have sent a werewolf running. “Where is your brother?”
“Gone,” Dean said again, setting his jaw defiantly. John wasn’t going to get anything out of him. “Away from here and you.” Away from Dean too was left unsaid, this really was better for Sam in all ways.
John threw the whiskey bottle in his hand up against the wall where it shattered, Dean didn’t even flinch. “I will ask you one more time,” John said slowly in a tone that said defiance would not be accepted. Dean the perfect little soldier would get in line and do what he said immediately. “Where is your brother?”
“I will never tell you that,” Dean stood up to the man for the first time in his entire life. If there was going to be a first, then he was going to make it spectacular, because Dean…well, he wasn’t so sure he was going to live through this based on the gleam in his father’s eyes right then. It didn’t matter though because no matter what John did, Dean would never do anything to betray or hurt his baby brother, because that was his job, from the time he was 4 years old, all Dean was good for was to protect Sam, and he wasn’t going to stop doing that now when his brother needed him the most.