20.
The air in the bunker felt heavy, and the energy of the spell still lingered in the walls. Dean stood at the door to the library, his arms crossed as Albus draped his cloak around his shoulders. Sam sat at the table, his gaze thoughtful. It was a strange feeling that after the spell was cast, he no longer remembered where the bunker was—until Dean told him.
Albus looked at Dean, his blue eyes serious but kind. “I want to thank you for your trust. I know it hasn’t been easy.” Dean snorted softly. “Trust? Let’s not talk about that. This was about what’s best for Dana.”
Albus smiled weakly. “And that’s exactly why she’s safe with you. But I want a promise from you.” Sam leaned forward slightly. “What promise?”
“That when Dana is old enough, she’ll have the chance to come to Hogwarts,” Albus said. “She deserves that education. Her parents would have wanted that for her. And I think it’s important that she learns about her own world.” Dean’s gaze sharpened. “We’ll see how she feels when the time comes. We’re not going to send her anywhere she doesn’t want to.”
Sam nodded in agreement. “But if she wants to, we’ll make sure she gets the chance.” Albus nodded gratefully. “That’s all I ask.”
There was a brief silence, as Albus picked up his wand and headed for the door. He stopped at the threshold and turned around one last time. “I’m sure her parents would be proud of you,” he said softly. “You’ve given her a family. Something she never had.”
Dean’s face softened a fraction. “We’ll take care of her. That’s what family does.” Albus smiled and gave a brief nod. “Goodbye, gentlemen. And take good care of her.”
Sam and Dean nodded, and Castiel, who had been watching silently the entire time, stepped forward. “I’ll make sure he gets back to England safely.”
“Thank you, Castiel,” Albus said with a respectful bow. With a soft flash of light, Castiel disappeared with Albus, leaving the silence in the bunker behind.
Dean took a deep breath and looked at Sam. “Hogwarts, huh?” Sam grinned weakly. “You know she wants to. When she’s ready, she’ll want to go.” Dean nodded slowly. “If that’s what she wants…
***
Rowena stood on a ridge just outside Lebanon, Kansas. It irked her that she somehow forgot where Sam and Dean lived. She had always known where the bunker was and now the knowledge was simply gone. Her Phone chimed. She opened the message, which read;
The location of the bunker where Sam and Dean Winchester live in Lebanon, Kansas, followed by the coordinates.
Rowena laughed softly...a secretkeepingspell. Clever, very clever, but she was also certain that the men had not come up with it themselves.
***
Charlie sat on her bike, looking around in confusion. She was on her way to see the brothers and that adorable little girl she already considered a sister, when all of a sudden, she didn’t know where to go. What the frack? She called Sam, who answered on the third ring. "Dude, what’s going on? Why can't I remember where you guys live?"
Sam chuckled and told her to wait a few moments, and that she would get a text. And sure enough, after 2 minutes of staring at her screen, the message came. The minute she read it, the memories of the bunker came back to her. "Sam, you have got to explain this to me!"
***
Crowley stood in a dark room, a map of the United States spread out on the table in front of him. Candles flickered around him as he performed an intricate ritual, his fingers tracing the lines of the map. “Where are you hiding, Winchesters?” he muttered.
The candle flames suddenly died down, and Crowley had a destroyed map and was none the wiser. How...peculiar. Wizards... No wonder demons did not deal with them. When it was time to collect the soul, they simply hid themselves and the Hellhouds could no longer find them. Annoyed, he picked up his phone and called Dean.
"Crowley, what do you want?" came the gruff reply on the other end. "Squirrel. Do be so kind and stop hiding yourself from me. This is highly unpractical." He heard Dean chuckle before the line was disconnected. "Bastard," Crowley muttered to himself. After a few minutes however, he received a text with the coordinates to the bunker. "Well well," Crowley grinned.