Supernatural War: Game Plan
Author: Azure the Dragonlady
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own either Harry Potter or Supernatural
Summary: Harry Potter / Supernatural Crossover. First in the Supernatural War Series.After defeating Voldemort at 17, Harry Potter leaves the Wizarding World, trying to live a normal life under the name of Harry Evans. However, it soon becomes apparent that there are other things out there and people in need of saving. Harry becomes a Hunter, facing a whole new war, on a much larger and deadlier scale. Along the way Harry discovers that something else may have also been connected to Voldemort's rise to power and that he is more involved in it, than he ever imagined possible.
Setting: Harry Potter – Post-Series. AU of Deathly Hollows (some events/info may have changed or have not happened at all). Supernatural – takes place during Season 2, but may have information pertaining to ALL seasons.

Chapter 5: Training (Part 1)

The gun felt foreign in his hands. The target was a few yards in front but his hands felt unsteady as his fingers hovered over the trigger.

"Take a deep breath, kid." Joshua's voice penetrated Harry's thoughts. "Then hold your breath slightly and squeeze the trigger. Just like I showed you."

The training to be a hunter was gruelling. Most of the day Joshua taught Harry how to handle a gun. Joshua, he found, was an excellent instructor and was patient as Harry learned to handle the gun.

Harry did as instructed and took a deep, steading breath before squeezing the trigger. The gun went off with a loud bang and pierced the air. Within a few seconds the bullet hit the outer edge of the target.

Harry glanced up at the older Hunter.

"Well done!" Joshua breamed in pride.

"It wasn't what I was aiming for," Harry mumbled.

"But you hit the target," Joshua pointed out. "Your training is paying off. You hit the target board this time."

Harry didn't reply.

"You're too hard on yourself, kid."

"I need to know this stuff. I need to be a hunter."

"I know." Joshua's voice was calm and the opposite of Harry's heated tone. "But it takes time and practice. You've come a long way in just a few weeks, Harry. You need to be proud of that."

There was a pause, as if Joshua was waiting for a reply. When none came the older hunter continued, "I think that's enough weapon practice for today. How about you study a few books and after dinner you can recite an exorcism for me?"

Harry frowned. "I thought there were only a few demons that surfaced every year."

"There is," Joshua said, but Harry could sense a slight unease in the tone of his voice. "But if you ever come across a demon, you won't have time to look up an exorcism. It could mean the difference between life and death."

Harry divided his training time between learning weapons and studying books on various creatures. Joshua had an expansive library, although his mentor admitted that it was small compared to another hunter's collection. There were numerous journals written by former hunters who had long since passed on.

A few days after Harry had arrived at the older hunter's place, Joshua had said that most hunters kept a journal, writing their thoughts about hunts. These journals also contained various information hunters had received about the different supernatural creatures - different ways to kill them and signs to watch out for.

Joshua encouraged Harry to start his own journal that he could use in the future. The wizard had charmed his journal so all the references to the Wizarding World could only be seen by him or whoever he let in on the secret. Hermione would have been proud.

As Harry settled down to study, he glanced over his first entry, where he was able to let out his emotions on the whole subject of the wizarding world and hopefully would close that chapter of his life permanently.

All my life has basically been depicted by a prophecy. When I found out it gave me a sense of purpose, but I realised even before I knew that such a prophecy existed – I knew that I'd be the one to defeat…kill Voldemort. I could feel it within my very being – even when I tried to deny it. Now that the prophecy has been fulfilled, I no longer felt I had any sense of purpose. I had to find out what I wanted to do now. I thought that I wanted to live in peace and not have all the responsibility… just have the simple life. But … well … I know that there are other evils out there. Evil which is hurting innocent people and I can't – I won't sit back and watch something kill them, not while I can do something, anything about it. Not while I'm still breathing.

Harry leaned back onto the head frame of his bed; his journal lay on his lap as he finished reading the last sentence. He had thought is obligations began and ended with Voldemort but fighting evil was now so engrained within his sense of self that to do something different felt wrong.

His hands idly flipped the pages of his journal. Along with researching and increasing his knowledge about creatures he may encounter, he wrote in his journal. He compared the different creatures to the knowledge he already knew and how it differed from the Wizarding World. His fingers stopped over the entry he had made on werewolves.

While he was studying the various journals Joshua made available to him, Harry discovered that werewolves they have in America were different to those he had encountered in the Wizarding World.

Greyback had changed, Harry had written as he explained the comparison. While in the Wizarding World they became angry beasts, they were content in their animalistic form to maul anybody they came across, with the exception of those who were on the Wolfsbane potion.

In America, werewolves, while also attacking by the light of the full moon, devoured the heart and that is the most obvious sign to hunters that it is a werewolf that they are after.

Previously, based on the knowledge given to me by Remus, it appeared that Greyback was able to have significant control over his animalistic side. Enough to focus his energy on turning kids should he feel so inclined. In Muir Woods, I had seen Greyback's control diminish as he experienced the same behaviour that Joshua had told me about werewolves – about them eating human hearts. This was contrary to the Greyback I had seen on the battlefield in England.

I can only hypothesis that it must be something in America, some barbarity, or else something that Greyback experienced on his flight to America that turned him this way. Maybe I'm wrong, which I hope to Merlin that I am, or else there is something more at work in America than I had ever thought possible.

Harry looked up from his book when he heard some clanging noise from the kitchen. Joshua must be trying to cook again. He smiled at the memories that thought provoked. He put his journal down on the bed and went to investigate.

In the kitchen Joshua had just placed some pasta into boiling water.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked.

Joshua looked over as Harry entered. "Cooking."

Harry smiled. "I told you I can cook the meals."

Joshua smirked. "You don't like my meals then?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to, kid. That's why I'm cooking pasta. I can at least cook that."

"True." Harry grinned. "I'll help."

Harry moved forward and Joshua appeared to scrutinise him.

"I'll let you help," Joshua said. "If you can recite an exorcism."

Joshua continued with dinner and Harry slipped into the preparation area of the kitchen and began to help.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio
infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica…"

Joshua nodded occasionally during Harry exorcism chant.

"Very good," Joshua said. "You can almost recite it verbatim. You just need a little more confidence. You stuttered over a few parts."

"You notice that?"

"Of course I did," Joshua said.

Harry was about to comment, but Joshua's cell rang.

"Hello?" Joshua answered his cell. "Yes? … There is?"

Harry took over dinner as his mentor answered his cell. He tried not to focus on Joshua's side of the conversation but he couldn't help but overhear. It sounded like there was a hunt close by and whoever was on the other line wanted Joshua to take care of it.

During Harry's training, Joshua had went hunts in Utah, but refused to let Harry come until he had gotten further along in his training, despite his protests that the older hunter was better off with some backup. Joshua had responded that while Harry was still beginning his training, he was more of a reliability than backup on the hunt.

"Okay," Joshua said. "I will. Thanks. Bye."

Joshua ended the call and placed his cell phone back in his pocket. He turned to Harry.

"Another hunt?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Did you need some help?" Harry tried, though he knew what Joshua's answer would be.

Joshua shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, kid. You aren't ready, not yet."

Harry nodded. He knew it was futile to argue. He could only watch in silence as Joshua gathered his hunting gear.

"You can't stay for dinner?" Harry asked.

"Sorry, kid. There's been deaths in Delta already. I've got to go."

"I'll freeze you the leftovers."

Joshua stopped at the threshold of the door and turned. "You're getting there, kid, you just need to work on fine-tuning your skills. You can go through some more of my books if you like. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Harry twirled his wand absentmindedly as he struggled to focus on Joshua's journal entry about shape shifters. His attention wavered as he glanced at the calendar on the wall opposite, then at the clock above the calendar.

It had been a few days since he'd heard from the older hunter and he was becoming increasingly worried about the lack of contact. It was unusual for Joshua to not call at all when he was away on hunts, although there may have been some delay between expected calls.

Harry replaced his wand in its holster and closed his and Joshua's journals. He reached out and grabbed his phone from the table. Glancing at the screen revealed he had not missed any calls.

With a frown, his fingers hovered over the button to call the older hunter's cell. He hesitated. Should I call? What if it was nothing and Joshua had just been too busy and hadn't had the chance to call yet? His fingers twitched. But then again – what if Joshua was in trouble and need help?

Harry knew Joshua was a competent hunter, but even hunters needed backup for more difficult hunts. And I do know where he went, the wizard thought glancing at the map of the state on the wall opposite him.

Harry soon found himself standing in front of the map, his hand tracing the route from Joshua's house to Delta.

About an hour or so from Milford, Harry determined as he studied the map carefully. He would need to take the UT-257 and it would lead him straight to Delta.

Harry knew that Joshua wouldn't want him to come, that his mentor felt that he wasn't ready, but he couldn't help shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Harry called Joshua's cell. His fingers drummed on the table as he waited for the call to connect. The phone rang several times.

"You've reached Joshua's cell," Joshua's pre-recorded voice message intoned. "I'm unable to come to the phone right now. Please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

The tone beeped.

"Joshua, its Harry. I would have thought that I would hear from you by now. Please let me know how you're doing. Thanks."

Harry ended the call, slamming his cell on the table. The sickening feeling that something was wrong in the pit of his stomach was back.

He needed to go to Delta and make sure that Joshua is alright.

Harry hastily began packing the items he may need, shoving them in his duffle bag. Harry tried Joshua's cell once more and when it went straight to voice mail again. It cemented his decision to go and check up on his mentor.

On the outskirts of Delta, he stopped at the local Gas-N-Sip to refuel his motorbike.

As Harry walked into the Gas-N-Sip he walked around the aisles, he grabbed a water bottle from one of the fridges and moved to the check out. On a rack beside the checkout were the local papers. The headline drew Harry's attention to the paper.

"Police still baffled over family mauling."

Scanning the paper, Harry noted that similar deaths have also occurred twice before and only a week apart. The people were murdered by 'animals' inside their house. He quickly paid for the petrol, the paper and water bottle and bolted out of the store. Harry vaguely heard the cashier call out after him.

"Hey man, your change!"

The local police station was small and catered for a relatively small population. It only occurred to Harry after he parked his motorbike that he had no identification on him that would help him with his investigation.

He would have to do it the old way. With a determination in his step, he walked behind the building and disillusioned himself with a quick wave of his wand.

As Harry walked in, he noticed there was a reception desk petitioning the entrance from the rest of the station. A woman in her mid-to-late thirties was working behind the desk, typing on a computer. Behind her were four desks. On one of the desks an officer was sifting through paperwork. The officer was an aged man in his late fifties with a creased forehead.

The officer looked up as Harry walked further into the room, away from the front entrance. Harry paused slightly, holding his breath.

"Have you heard from that state police officer yet?" the officer asked the reception women.

The reception women paused from her typing, turning in her swivel chair to face the officer.

"No, sir," she replied. "No one's seen him since the Sheppard's crime scene."

The officer grunted and turned back to the paperwork. "That's strange. We'll give him another day to surface before we report him to the State Police office."

"Yes sir."

Harry frowned at the conversation.

Joshua had definitely been here and looking into the case but something happened between the last victim's house and now. And according to the local paper that had been in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Harry walked carefully through the police station. It reminded him of his Hogwarts days, manoeuvring around in his invisibility cloak. He stealthy walked over to where the officer was seated and peered discreetly over his shoulder, mindful of his movements.

The case file the officer had opened was the exact one Harry needed to look at. The images that were attached were brutal. The family was literally mauled to death. The notes on the scene speculated that the heart was missing as well, reminding Harry vividly that it was the MO of werewolves, who ate the hearts of their victims.

That couldn't be right. He frowned.

The lunar cycle was all wrong and there wasn't a full moon any time soon. Harry was so immersed in his thoughts that he only just managed to leap back when the officer stood up suddenly, but he collided with a chair behind him. The sound of a chair squeaking as it moved seemingly unaided across the room echoed through the otherwise quiet station.

Both the officer and the receptionist looked at the chair and Harry moved away from the desks in a hurry. There was complete silence as the officer walked over to the chair and grasped the back of the chair in his hand, using that to stop the motion of the chair.

"Is everything okay?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes. I … think so," the officer replied, but even as he said it there was a quizzical look on his face. After a moment and with no other explanation plausible the office shrugged off the odd moment and he spoke again, "I'm just going out for a smoke. Are you alright for the moment?"

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine Derrick."

The officer walked to the back of the police station where there were a double doors leading to the back of the station. "Call me if you need anything."

Harry waited to ensure that the officer did not leave anything behind then carefully slid into the officer's vacated seat. The receptionist turned back to her computer screen and diligently started typing again on the computer; its sound resonated through the quiet police office.

Harry carefully opened the closed case file, and swiftly read the contents of the file. While there was no autopsy as yet - it was scheduled for later today - there was enough observations from the scene of the crime to give the preliminary findings of the incident. The families were mauled viciously before their hearts were removed by what looked to be claws, although there was no record of them keeping pets. It left the officers stumbling over the answers.

The case file also revealed that there was no signs of forced entry and the victims were all found in their beds in the early hours of the morning. If it wasn't for the fact that the brother of the father that was murdered stopped by in the early hours of the morning that they were even found so early. The brother was ruled out as a suspect due to the animal marks. According to the brother, there were no animals present in the house as far as he could tell.

Harry's eyes moved to the top of the file.

724 Bristlecone Lane.

He had everything he needed. Within minutes he was out the door, the only evidence he had even been inside was the receptionist calling out, "Hello, is anybody there?"

The Sheppard's house was cordoned off with the yellow police tape with the words Crime Scene Do Not Enter emblazed on it.

Harry promptly ignored the tape as he ducked under it and walked up the front path. The police vehicles were nowhere in sight and Harry counted his blessings. Harry grabbed his motorbike gloves from his pocket and slid them over his fingers. With another glance around to ensure no one was look, he discreetly revealed the tip of his wand from its forearm holster and whispered, "Alohamora."

The door instantly responded and the locks clicked open. Harry swiftly replaced his wand in the forearm holster and opened the door.

From the entrance of the house Harry could see the stairs directly opposite him, to the left was a lounge area and behind that was an opened door partially revealing the dining area. He assumed the kitchen area was nearby.

Seeing no signs of the supposed animal attack from the doorway, Harry pulled out his gun from back of his jeans where he had tucked it away. He clicked the safety off but remembered not to place his finger on the trigger as he recalled Joshua's warning.

"And whatever you do," Joshua had said. "DO NOT place your finger on the trigger unless you are ready to shoot something, or else you could possibly shoot an innocent bystander or even yourself. And don't forget about the safety. There is nothing worse than needing to shot something and you've left the safety on. It could mean the difference between life or death."

Harry walked softly up the stairs, as he went over that conversation between Joshua and him about the trigger and the safety switch on the gun. The .45 he held in his hand still felt foreign to him, but he needed to get used to these weapons and this was a practical, hands-on experience for it. Harry just wished it was under better circumstances.

The second floor consisted of a long hallway with two bedrooms and the bathroom facilities were off to the sides leading up to the master bedroom at the end of the hallway, directly opposite him.

Harry strained his ears but heard nothing. He continued forward.

The master bedroom was a mess. Blood still coated the bed leaving two large stains indicating where each parent lay when they were mauled in their blood had dripped off the sides and onto the floor, creating a smaller pool of blood around the bed.

Harry let out a staggered breath at the sight. In his mind's eye, he couldn't help but recall some of the more gruesome deaths of the wizarding war against Voldemort.

Harry walked up to the bed, mindful of stepping on the blood stains on the floor. He examined the bed critically. Moving back to the foot of the bed, Harry noticed some blankets were rolled up on the floor, almost as if an animal had lain there. He crouched down, reaching out a hand to move the blanket slightly. Once he had a closer look, he noticed a bloody paw print. An animal had indeed been in the house at the time of the deaths. The print was small and appeared to belong to either a cat or small dog.

He stood up. The officer at the station had said that the family didn't have a pet and a door-to-door inquiry revealed that they had not been asked to look after any other pets which was why the police were confused as to how the animal had gotten in the house. It couldn't have been a random animal either; the fact that the family welcomed the animal and were caring for it was evident.

Harry canvased the other rooms of the house, revealing the bloody linen of the two children. In the room of the last child, there were bloody paw prints, which the police had tagged with a yellow crime scene number.

He had stepped back out the child's bedroom, when he heard a loud bang, followed by a clatter. The sound was coming from downstairs. He tightened his grip on the gun in response and ensured he had easy access to his wand. As he made his way down the stairs to the noise, he felt like someone was watching him.

The hairs on the back of his neck had risen and his muscles tensed, ready to fight.