AN: Holy crap, I am blown away by all the Favs, Follows, and reviews that this story got for the first chapter! I guess I underestimated just how much people love Harry Potter and Supernatural, huh? But I'm not complaining; I love seeing how much you guys like this story, and it just gets me so motivated!

However, I do have some bad news. My laptop died recently, and that was how I was updating my various stories. So at the earliest, it'll be another few weeks until I can buy a new one, but it will be likely longer. In the meantime, I have resorted to using the library computers again to get some updates out. So I apologize, but you might need to be just a little bit patient.

Chapter Two

"Are you kidding me?"

"What, Sammy?"

"The second hunt in, and we're already up against a Wendigo. I think we have the weirdest luck imaginable."

"It could be worse, Sammy."

"How?"

"...There could be witches involved. Man, I still hate witches. So annoying."

"So you don't like them because they're like you? Annoying and never staying gone?"

"Hey!"

Well, they managed to kill the Wendigo without any more people dying or being eaten themselves, so Sam considered that a plus. Blackwater Ridge would be safe for campers again, unless another Wendigo decided to move out that way. (Oh, please let that not happen..) It was kind of amusing to see Hailey and Dean interact, since Dean's habits definitely hadn't changed in that area while Sam was at Stanford. (In fact, Sam would kind of want to see Dean's reaction if they found out one day that during one of his flings, the protection broke and there was now a mini-Dean running around.)

But they had to hit the road and find another case, and hopefully find another clue as to where the hell their dad had vanished to.

"Sam, you know we're gonna find Dad, right?" Dean asked him as they sat on the hood of the Impala. Sam sighed through his nose before looking up at the night sky. As always, his eye stopped on Sirius, the Dog Star, and he felt just a little bit better. Like he was less alone, with only his brother watching out for him. "Yeah," Sam said eventually. "I know. But until then..." he looked over at Dean and gave a small mischievous smile. "I'm driving."

Dean gave an answering grin and tossed him the keys, Sam easily catching them before heading over to the driver's seat.

The Impala roared to life before driving away, the brother and sister Sam and Dean had helped watching the car get smaller and smaller before vanishing entirely. Off to help other families, other people in need of help. "Thank God," Haley whispered. "I can't imagine what would've happened if they hadn't been here."

One of the next hunts, however, ended up more important than either Winchester thought it would be at first. It started as it normally did, with Dean going through obituaries in different newspapers, looking for suspicious-sounding deaths that might have actually been caused by something supernatural. And the one he found was a teenage girl by the name of Sophie Carlton.

"Sophie Carlton's the third Lake Manitoc victim this year; she apparently walked into the lake and never came back out. Her body was never found, and none of the other victims so far were either."

"Okay; I guess we get to go to Wisconsin." Sam shot his older brother a look when the pretty blond waitress shot Dean a flirtatious look. "Dean, really? You can flirt later; we're going on a hunt, remember?"

"You know we are allowed to have fun, right? That's fun," Dean demanded.

Sam rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of Dean's leather jacket, dragging his older brother out of the diner. "Merlin, I can't believe you sometimes..." the brunette said under his breath, not even noticing what he'd just said. Dean, however, managed to catch it and sent a confused look to his little brother.

Sam knew something was not right in that town as soon as they crossed the border. It wasn't anything he could really explain, only this feeling of something being wrong just underneath his skin. He felt his skin crawl with just how off everything seemed, and that feeling only intensified when he came face to face with the sheriff of the town, Jake Devins. Dean kept shooting him worried looks until they booked a room in the local inn, where he finally sat Sam down on one of the beds and said, "Okay, what's wrong, Sam? As soon as we entered the town, you've been acting weird. And the way you were looking at the sheriff..."

"This whole town's wrong, Dean," Sam managed to say. "I don't really know how to explain it. Something...something bad happened in this town, and it's like I can feel it. Not any specifics, but..."

Dean nodded, deciding to solve this case quickly and think about all this later. "And the sheriff?"

"It was worse, like he was the center," Sam said, lifting his head to look Dean in the eyes. "Whatever happened in this town to make me feel like this has to be connected to him in some way."

"Okay; but before we start digging around the sheriff's background, we need to go talk to Sophie Carlton's family. They might have seen something when she drowned."

Sam nodded. "Alright; just give me a moment, I need to try and get used to it."

However, any adjustment Sam had managed to accomplish went out the bloody window as soon as they got to the lake and met Bill Carlton. Sophie's father felt just like Jake, as if he was the center of what was happening in this town. And the lake they were all standing next to...Sam's attention wasn't on Bill or Dean's attempts to talk to him. Eventually Sophie's brother Will was willing to answer a few questions about what had happened, but Sam remained on the dock, looking out at the water.

Sam knelt, examining what he could without touching the water. "That feeling's worse here...what could have happened?" he murmured.

"Sam!"

Dean waved at him. "Get your butt over here, Sammy, we're leaving!"

As the tall brunette snorted and left, he didn't notice the waves on the surface of the lake getting wilder and more chaotic, nor did Sam realize he was being watched.

In the deep darkness of Lake Manitoc, the spirit of a young boy thought about that strange human who had been on the dock, next to that man. Whoever that stranger had been was enough to shake the veil of rage and hurt and vengeance that often overtook him. The human had been tall, with brown hair, but his eyes...they were different.

Something about that stranger called to him, and now the spirit of Peter Sweeney felt torn. Torn between making Jake and Billy feel the same pain that his mom did every day or perhaps finding out more about whoever had been on the dock.

"Apparently the three this year weren't the first to go missing in that lake," Dean announced a few hours after they had returned to their motel room. He had Sam's laptop balanced on his knees, looking up any information on the Lake Manitoc drownings. "There've been six others, spread over the past 35 years."

"No bodies those times either?" Sam asked.

"Nope. No eyewitnesses, no bodies, nothing...wait."

"What?"

"Don't know if you were paying attention, but Jake's daughter Andrea came by with her son Lucas. Kid never spoke a word, and apparently he's been like that ever since his dad died. And here..." Dean pointed to a picture on the screen of a young boy wrapped in a towel, "it says that Chris took Lucas out swimming on the lake, and he drowned. Lucas was out there on a floating wooden platform for two hours before he got rescued...no wonder the kid was freaked out."

"I guess there is an eyewitness after all," Sam said. "Maybe he saw whatever's doing this."

"At least it's something to go on," Dean shrugged.

"I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie. I just drove past the Carlton house; there was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead."

"He drowned?"

"Yep. In the sink."

"What the hell? So you're right, this isn't a creature, we're dealing with something else."

"But what?"

"I don't know. Water wraith maybe? Some kind of demon? Something that controls water."

"Yeah; but how is this connected to both Jake and Bill Carlton? You find anything on their histories?"

"Nothing official, no, but I managed to see Lucas at his and Andrea's house. He gave me this."

"...I'm guessing it's a building in town?"

"Lucas hasn't been wrong so far. I think that house might be where this started, or at least have something to do with this."

"Okay. I guess we'd better get going."

"Sorry to bother you ma'am, but does a little boy live here by chance? He'd wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle."

The old woman's face filled with deep heartbreak before she began speaking. "..No, sir. Not for a very long time."

She didn't have to say much before Sam and Dean realize that the boy in the picture was Peter Sweeney, the woman's only son. "Peter's been gone 35 years now. The police never...I never had any idea what happened." She turned back around to face them after trying to collect herself. "He just disappeared. Losing him... you know... it, it's worse than dying."

Sam went over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave a small sob before continuing. "He...he was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school. And he never showed up."

Dean noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked over at it, tilting his head. Sam was busy comforting Peter's mother, who was still in so much pain even so many years later, so Dean walked over and plucked the small picture from where it was on the mirror. It was of two boys, one of them little Peter. And on the back were the names Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton.

"Well, the pieces are starting to fit together," Dean commented once they were in the car.

"Yeah... we finally have the motivation. She said it herself, losing your child is worse than dying. She's been in so much pain for 35 years, mostly because she could never find out what happened, and Peter's spirit wants the sheriff and Bill Carlton to know what that feels like. Peter's been drowning all the victims, so that might explain how he died and why he can control water."

"You think Bill Carlton and Jake drowned him in the lake?" Dean asked.

"It would make the most sense, and it explains why they feel wrong. They're the source, the ones who set this entire thing in motion. Even if it was an accident, Peter's spirit wouldn't care about that."

"Then what do we do? Bill's dead, and Jake won't want to admit to it. We don't even know if they buried the body; they most likely just let him go in the lake. There's no way to salt and burn the bones, and Peter's not gonna stop until Jake and everyone he loves is dead," Dean said, frustrated.

"Andrea and Lucas are going to be next; if Jake wants to save them, he's going to have to believe us," Sam finally said. "But I refuse to think there isn't a way to stop this. We just need to keep looking."

As it was, Andrea nearly drowned soon after that little conversation. It was only due to Dean's concern for Lucas that had them going to check up on the mother and son late at night; when Lucas opened the door with panic written all over his face and fear in his eyes, Sam and Dean immediately realized Peter must have been trying to claim another victim. Sam dashed ahead of his brother, forcing the bathroom door open when it proved to be supernaturally locked.

The bathtub was filled with dark lake water, corrupted by Peter's anger and pain, and there was no sign of Andrea underneath the water. Sam plunged his arms in, grasping Andrea's weakly-struggling body, but Peter was unwilling to let his victim go. Sam strained against the spirit's power, and his eyes began to glow green. "Peter!" he roared. "Let this woman go!"

The spirit's presence was gone so quickly that Sam lost his balance as he pulled Andrea from the water. But the impact with the floor jolted Andrea enough that she began coughing the lake water from her lungs, so the younger Winchester was just thankful that they hadn't been too late. Lucas was at his mother's side immediately, almost hysterical from watching his last remaining parent nearly drown before his eyes. Dean wrapped Andrea in a towel, handing one to Sam as well so he could dry off.

As Andrea and Lucas embraced each other, both needing the assurance that the other was safe, Sam kept his gaze on the innocent-looking water still in the tub, free from the tainted water Peter used to drown his victims. They needed to confront the spirit soon, or they might not be able to stop Peter at all.

They told Andrea of what they knew and suspected of the events that had been happening and what had led to them the next morning, since she had the right to know the truth of what was going on. She wasn't willing to believe that her father had killed Peter Sweeney 35 years ago, but faced with so much evidence that everyone connected with Bill Carlton and Jake were being murdered, Andrea couldn't deny that something needed to be done.

Lucas led them to Peter's bike, not too far from the side of the lake, and the three adults could picture what had happened that day. Whether it was an accident or not, Bill and Jake had obviously panicked once they realized what they'd done and what that would mean if anyone found out, so they clearly weren't thinking straight when they buried the bike so close to the lakeside.

There was the click of a gun, and Sam and Dean turned to face Jake, who looked worried and angry. "How did you know that was there?" he demanded harshly, hands slightly shaking.

"How long has this been eating at you, Jake Devins?" Sam said softly, hazel eyes hard. "How long have you wondered if this was going to be the day someone found this bike and tried to find out what happened to Peter Sweeney 35 years ago? And how long have you been trying to deny the fact that a young boy is dead because of you?"

Jake's trembling increased.

"Whether it was an accident or not, there have been dire consequences because of what you and Bill Carlton did that day," Sam said harshly. "Ghost stories have always been based on fact, simply twisted as they were passed down. Peter's violent death and his refusal to leave his mother turned him into a vengeful spirit, and he is the cause of all the drownings. All the victims have one thing in common; they were people you and Bill Carlton loved."

"What?" Jake demanded. "You're insane!"

"Dad, something tried to drown me and Chris died on that lake; Dad, look at me!" Andrea pleaded. "Tell me that...you didn't kill anyone."

His silence was all the answer any of them needed.

"Billy and I were at the lake," Jake slowly admitted. "Peter was the smallest, we always bullied him.." Sam's eyes narrowed as his anger increased. "But this time, it got rough. We were holding his head under the water...but we held him under too long, and he drowned." Jake's composure began to crack, his guilt and grief over what he had done as a young boy starting to overwhelm him. "We didn't mean to, it was an accident! We let the body go and it sank; Billy and I panicked, and we buried the bike over here. But Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings and what happened to Chris because of some ghost?" Jake stuttered, desperately searching for another reason to throw at them. "I-If this ghost really does exist, why didn't he simply come after us?"

"Ghosts can't leave the areas they died at," Dean said. "And Peter didn't just want you and Bill Carlton to pay for what you did; he wanted you two to feel the same pain his own mother felt when her son never came home. Only then would he kill you as well."

Andrea couldn't look at her father; she had looked up to him for so long, admired his drive to protect the people of the town, but now? Had he simply become a sheriff out of guilt for what he did? Her father's confession of the truth behind Peter Sweeney's disappearance shook her, doubt and disbelief and horror swirling around in her head. A flash of white caught her eye, and what she saw chilled her to the core. Lucas was kneeling on the dock, hand outstretched as he tried to grab something floating on the lake. Her gasp caught the three men's attention, and Jake reacted first, letting out a shout. "Lucas!"

They all ran to the lake, only to see a gray arm shoot out of the water and grab Lucas's wrist, dragging the young boy into the lake. Andrea's scream shattered the quiet of the morning, and both Sam and Dean dived into the water, determined to find Lucas before he drowned like all the others.

"Andrea, stay on the dock!" Sam ordered. "If you get in, Peter will drown you too, so stay there!"

He didn't stay to hear Andrea's response, taking a deep breath before submerging.

It was strange, being in the lake where Peter's spirit was hiding. The water surrounding him was filled with all the negative emotions Peter had experienced since his death, so strong that it made Sam dizzy. But he forced himself to focus.

He seemed to have a connection with the spirits of the dead; when he commanded Peter to let Andrea go, Peter obeyed. Sam could only hope that it hadn't been a one-time thing.

'Peter!' he shouted with his mind. 'Show yourself, Peter Sweeney!'

It was a good thing that time seemed to grind to a halt; Sam had no clue if he would be able to convince Peter to stop his crusade, and having to go up to the surface for air every five minutes certainly wouldn't help. But as their surroundings seemed to still, there was movement from deep below the water's surface.

Peter Sweeney's spirit was still wearing the clothes he'd died in, his hair floating around his face. The only sign of him being deceased was the blue color of his lips and the broken look in his eyes. Sam extended a hand, eyes still glowing with a forgotten power. 'Peter, my name is Sam Winchester. And I've come here to help both you and the people of this town.'

The young boy looked both hopeful and skeptical for just a few moments, but he became angry once Sam continued speaking.

'Peter, you've got to stop what you're doing.'

Peter Sweeney snarled, shaking his head violently. 'Jake has to pay, just like I made Billy pay! I can't stop now, when I'm so close!' The spirit's expression crumbled as decades-old pain resurfaced once more; 35 years was nowhere near long enough to dull the pain. 'My mother...Mom was in so much pain because of what they did...I could hear her crying at night, wondering what happened to me...Jake and Billy didn't even have the courage to tell her what they'd done! And then I discovered that while I couldn't leave the lake, I could send the lake wherever I needed without having to leave; I could make them feel the same pain Mom did!' Sam and Peter looked at each other while the spirit made his plea.

'It's not fair...Mom shouldn't have suffered this long because of what they did to me...'

Sam's green eyes softened, and he said, 'She won't suffer for much longer, Peter...I'll make sure of that. But please, Peter...your mother seemed like a very sweet and kind woman who loves you very much...do you think she'd want you doing this, even for her?'

Peter looked like he'd been slapped.

Sam held out a hand once more. 'Take my hand, Peter; it's past time for you to rest. I promise that my brother and I won't let Jake go unpunished, but more innocents shouldn't be killed for something they had nothing to do with. I don't think you're that kind of person'

It seemed like the rest of the world came to a still as the broken spirit of the little boy considered Sam's outstretched hand. This would be the first time the Master of Death ever used his powers, the Reaper thought, black hair drifting in front of her face. This instant would be an indication of what they could expect from their Boss's Master.

When at last Peter took Sam's hand, emerald green light outlined the spirit's figure, Peter's eyes closed in peace and contentment for the first time in 35 years. Peter slowly faded away, but another little boy was now in his place: a little boy who had been dragged into the depths of the lake by Peter only a few minutes ago. Sam grasped Lucas's limp figure carefully, beginning to swim upward toward the surface. Dean met him halfway, and Sam transferred the little boy to his older brother's firm grip.

The Reaper smiled softly; it seemed that Sam Winchester was definitely more than what he appeared to be, and the forces of Heaven and Hell would be in for a rude awakening if they attempted to manipulate the Master of Death. After all, having Death itself's favor and loyalty was no small feat.

"I look forward to what you do from here on out, Sam Winchester."

Dripping wet and not looking happy at all, Sam crossed his arms and glared at Jake while Dean calmed Lucas down from his unexpected kidnapping and attempted drowning. Andrea hadn't let go of her son since Dean had first set him on the dock, sobbing quietly into her little boy's hair.

"Peter Sweeney's spirit is at peace now; there won't be any drownings in this lake as long as people are careful. But there's still one last thing that needs to be dealt with."

Dean, Lucas, and Andrea could only look at Sam as the younger Winchester's glare grew colder. Dean had never seen his little brother this angry, and he couldn't help but feel worried about what was going on.

"I want you to go in front of the entire town and confess what you and Bill Carlton did all those years ago," Sam commanded, his voice ringing out over the still surface of the lake. "Go to Peter's mother, stand before her, and tell her why her son never came home that day. Any other punishment is up to your people to decide." Sam's glare didn't warm up any as he bit out one last remark. "Be grateful that your life didn't end this day, Jake Devins. No one else will die for your mistakes, especially not your daughter and grandson."

Jake's head bowed in both sorrow and gratitude as the young Master of Death turned away, hands in his pockets, and started walking back to the Impala.

Dean parked the Impala off the road shortly after they left the small town, sitting on the hood with his brother while handing him a beer. Sam took it gratefully and took a swig, eyes drooping. His head slowly fell, resting on his older brother's shoulder.

"Didn't realize you were so tired, Sammy."

Sam hummed. "Whatever I did under the lake to talk to Peter and then send his spirit to rest took a lot out of me. Not to mention the havoc my senses were in as soon as we entered that town. Thankfully, after Peter moved on, the town started feeling normal again."

Dean let out a huge breath of air. "What are we gonna do about this, Sammy? We don't have a clue about what's goin' on."

"...Bobby?" Sam inquired tiredly.

Dean thought about that. Bobby probably knew more ancient and forgotten lore than any other hunter in the world, so even if he didn't know exactly what was going on with Sam, Bobby would most likely be able to point them in the right direction. And not to mention that it had been years since either Winchester had seen their pseudo-father figure.

Catching the beer bottle before it fell out of Sam's limp fingers and broke on the ground, Dean smiled as he looked at his baby brother. "C'mon, Sammy, up you go," Dean grunted, lifting Sam's body and getting him into the car. Sam just leaned against the window, not even twitching when the Impala's engine roared to life.

Standing on Bobby's doorstep for the first time in years, Dean was understandably nervous, and Sam was no help since he was pretty much still half-asleep. Taking a deep breath, the older Winchester steeled his nerves and knocked on the door, Sam still leaning on him. A few moments passed before they heard the tell-tale stomps of Bobby's boots, and the grizzled older Hunter opened the door.

Dean gave a grin. "Hey, Bobby. Surprise."

Bobby raised an eyebrow, looking over the two before stepping aside. "Well, come on in, boy. Don't need you standin' on my doorstep all night."

Dean and Sam walked in, taking their seats in the living room as Bobby laid out some water and a silver knife. Both brothers went through Bobby's tests with no complaint; if Bobby ever just trusted anyone to be who they said they were without proving it, they'd know there was something wrong with him. As expected, nothing happened to either Sam or Dean, and Bobby finally relaxed. Sam leaned his head on his open palm, trying desperately not to fall asleep while Dean kept a watchful eye on his younger brother.

"Well, not that I ain't glad to see you boys, but what are you two doin' here?"

"It's me, Bobby," Sam said softly, fighting to keep his eyes open. He hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep on the drive to Bobby's. "I...I have these weird abilities, and neither of us know what's going on. Dad's vanished off the face of the planet, and we just didn't know who else to ask."

Bobby's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Dean, who launched into all the instances that he knew about. Sam chimed in about what happened underneath the lake with Peter Sweeney's spirit, and when they were done, Bobby leaned back in his seat. "Balls. This is some serious shit you guys stepped in."

That managed to get Sam and Dean's attention, and Bobby sighed heavily. He looked deep in thought for a while, until he finally got up, looked through his massive collection of ancient books, and then he tossed a slim volume down on the table in front of the brothers. Dean leaned forward and read, "The Tales of..Beedle the...Bard?" Sam flinched as a sharp spike of pain assaulted his brain, the title of the book ringing a bell in his memories. But no matter how hard he tried, Sam couldn't quite recall where he'd heard of that book before.

"Yep. That's one of the few original copies left; I think one of the others is in Britain. You boys know about witches, of course, but there was one type of 'em that John didn't know about." That, especially, caught Sam's attention, even as that sense of familiarity washed over him again. "There aren't a whole lot of 'em over here in America, something about the aura of this country, but there are some wizards and witches with natural magic."

"Natural...?" Dean gaped.

"As in born with it, yes," Sam blurted out, eyes wide as he recalled that one specific memory he'd been dreaming about for so long. "In that one dream I've been having, Dean, one of those men said that a natural-born witch or wizard's powers came from the power of God, the power of Creation."

"Can we even trust what he'd said?" Dean protested.

"He claimed to be Death, Dean. The actual entity Death, like the Horseman from the Book of Revelation. Do you really think anyone would make that claim if it wasn't true?"

The two glared at each other, and then Bobby cleared his throat. "Dean, stop being an idjit and listen, will ya?" Dean broke his glaring contest with Sam and frowned at the older Hunter. "I don't know if a natural-born witch or wizard's powers come from God, that ain't been in any book I ever read, but they don't make deals with demons for their abilities. They mostly keep to themselves, especially after all the the witch hunts that happened; I only know about 'em because I saved a young couple from a nasty werewolf. Lily and James were completely unprepared for our kind of werewolf; nearly got their hearts eaten. Anyway, they told me some basic information after I saw 'em use magic, and Lily pointed me at some books with good lore. One of 'em was this." Bobby pointed at the thin book.

"It's mostly kid's tales, the magical version of Snow White, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, but there was one tale that stuck out to me." Bobby pushed the book to Dean, who opened it with some wariness. One eyebrow nearly disappeared into his hair when he read the titles of the books. "Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump... The Warlock's Hairy Heart...who the hell names their stuff like this?"

Bobby cracked a smile. "That ain't the story I wanted you to read, boy. It's the last story in the book, page 87."

"The Tale of the Three Brothers?"

"Yep. That one raised a couple of red flags for me; the story goes that three magical brothers managed to cheat Death one day, and the entity gave them each one object for having evaded him. The oldest got the most powerful wand in existence. According to the legend, who ever has its allegiance could never lose a fight." Dean raised an eyebrow. "The middle brother got a stone that could bring back the dead."

Dean couldn't help the scoff that escaped him even as he felt a pang of pain; what wouldn't his father give for the power to bring back their mother?

"The youngest brother was the smartest; he asked for something that could hide him from Death, so apparently the entity gave him an Invisibility Cloak."

Bobby didn't say anything more, so Dean bit the bullet and asked, "What happened to 'em?"

"The oldest brother was a damn idjit and boasted about his unbeatable wand while he was drunk; someone killed him in his sleep that night and stole the wand," Bobby answered flatly. "The second brother wasn't any better. He recalled the spirit of his dead fiancee, but ended up killing himself to join her in death instead. And the third lasted until a good old age, at least; he gave the Cloak to his son and then went with Death as an old friend."

"Well, this is fascinating and all, but what makes you think this story is true?" Dean asked. "I mean, it's a little bit better than 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart', at least, but I still don't think it could have actually happened."

"That's where you're wrong," Bobby said. "I didn't think it was true, either, not for a long time. But a few years ago, I got a really weird letter by owl."

"Owl?" Dean repeated, eyebrow raising even higher.

"It's how the wizards and witches mail things. Anyway, it was a young lady named Hermione Granger." Sam winced again, the pain behind his eyes getting worse. "Apparently there had been a big civil war in England that ended not long before she wrote the letter. One of her friends, the one that ended the war by killing the terrorist, had been looking into the legend and seemed to think it was real. She wanted to prove things one way or the other."

"So you guys got to talking. How did she even know about you?" Sam asked.

"And what'd you guys decide?" Dean interrupted.

"That same friend was murdered pretty soon after the war ended, saving her life. She and a few others were given all his possessions, including the letters Lily and I had written to each other after the werewolf thing. Turns out she and James had a kid, and that kid was Hermione's friend that saved her life. Harry, I think his name was. Lily wanted him to know there was someone that he might be able to depend on if he ever needed it." Bobby looked both uncomfortable and flattered that Lily had had such a high opinion of him. "Hermione told me the kid never read 'em, didn't even know Lily and James had left him letters."

"It was a lot of researchin', let me tell you," Bobby said, leaning back in his seat. "She'd done some of the research on her own already, but nothin' conclusive. She thought it was likely that the brothers in the story were part of the Peverell family, which had died out by then. She talked about a grave in Godric's Hollow with the name Ignotus Peverell, and the guy actually did exist. He was the youngest of three brothers, and the only one to live to old age. His oldest brother was murdered in his sleep at an inn, and the middle brother committed suicide."

The more Bobby talked, the more impressed Sam and Dean got. That was just the start of their research, apparently, and it was a big project. And all to settle the debate Hermione and her friend had had on whether the Deathly Hallows were real.

"Here." Bobby handed the brothers a letter.

Thank you so much for your help, Bobby. It's been enjoyable, working with you on this.

But you asked me why I was so dedicated to this, and I guess you deserve an answer after all the research we've done.

My best friend, Harry, and I...we never agreed on whether the Deathly Hallows existed or not. He said yes, I insisted there was no way they could've been real.

It was one of our worst arguments.

And I never got to apologize. He sacrificed his life to save mine and my son's, and all I could think of was that I never apologized for the terrible way we argued.

During the Final Battle, he claimed to be the Master of the Elder Wand, and the wand didn't actually work on him. Instead, Voldemort died. All I can think now is that Harry had been right; the curse rebounded that final time not because of his mother but because the Elder Wand couldn't kill it's Master. And if that was true, then there was a chance that I had been wrong after all.

Harry had been right, and I was too stubborn to see it.

The Wizarding World can never know the legend is actually true, but I suppose you can say I'm trying to find closure. So that the next time I see Harry, in the afterlife, I can apologize and tell him how much I regret being so blind. After all, magic is real. Why not Death as an entity, an invincible wand, and a stone that can bring back spirits of the dead?

Sam was absorbed in the letter, gripping it with white fingers, so Dean finally broke the silence. "She seems like just a big a nerd as Sam. They'd probably get along like a house on fire."

"Don't remind me; if they ever met, we'd never be able to get them out of the library."

There was a small amount of silence before Dean once again asked the big question. "So you think Sam has something to do with this whole 'Master of Death' thing?"

Bobby snorted. "Far from the weirdest thing I've seen, boy. And nothing else I've read or heard of could even help begin to make sense of the dreams and abilities Sam's getting. No regular creature, psychic, or spirit could do something like this, and it definitely ain't a demon. They stay well away from Reapers and Death in general for the most part. And even the most powerful demon-dealing witch would be an idiot to meddle with Death's business."

"I wish that Harry kid had talked more about what happened in that Forbidden Forest Granger mentioned," Dean mumbled. "After all, we can't ask him."

"Nope. I asked a powerful psychic I know if she could maybe talk to his spirit, but she said he was nowhere to be found. All the other spirits would say about him was that he was a favored one."

"Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful."

Sam finally set the letter down with a loud sigh, running his fingers through his shaggy hair. "At least we have more of an idea, right, Dean?"

Dean looked at Sam. "I'm just even more confused than I was before! You've never even seen those three items, so how are you connected with them? I mean, we know their history, great, but the one person who'd be able to clear this up for us died years ago!"

Death leaned on his cane and simply watched the three Hunters bicker back and forth about what Sam Winchester's connection could be with the Deathly Hallows. He'd need to keep an eye on Robert Singer; that one was interesting, for a mortal. He didn't think any other Hunter would have connections with the natural-born witches and wizards, and even those who might would not have considered looking for answers in a childrens' fairy tale book.

With one last glance at his reborn Master, Death vanished.

The Apocalypse isn't even close to beginning yet, but somehow you're causing more changes than even I thought possible, Harry Potter. We shall simply have to wait and see what comes of this, won't we?

Longest...chapter...ever. I'm not sure whether my fingers are still there or not.

I hope this lived up to your guys' expectations. Especially considering how long it is. So tell me if you have any comments or questions, and I'll answer them directly or post the answer at the beginning of the next chapter.