22.
One year later.
The morning started like any other in the bunker. Dean sat at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee, leafing through a book, while Dana quietly ate her breakfast. Sam was nowhere to be seen; he had left to help Garth with a case, which meant that today it was just Dean and Dana.
It was quiet, until a soft tap on the door interrupted their routine.
Dana looked up in surprise. “Who could that be?” Dean put down his mug and walked carefully to the door. He opened the heavy metal and looked surprised at what he saw.
A large owl sat on the stoop, a letter in its beak. Dean frowned. “Um… Dana?”
Dana stepped forward curiously. When her gaze fell on the owl, her expression changed from surprise to pure excitement. “That’s it!” she called out. “My Hogwarts letter!” Dean looked at her and then back at the owl. “Wait… this is really how they deliver these things? I thought Rowena was messing with me.”
Dana giggled as she stepped forward and took the letter from the owl’s beak. The animal gave her a brief hoot and then flew away, its wings rustling softly in the morning air.
Dana turned the envelope over in her hands, her fingers gently running over the sealed Hogwarts emblem. “It’s real,” she whispered, almost to herself. Dean walked back to the kitchen table and sat down. “Now, open it.”
Dana nodded, her hands shaking slightly with excitement as she broke the seal and opened the letter. Her eyes scanned the words on the parchment. “Dear Dana Potter…” she began aloud, her voice full of wonder. “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…”
Dean looked at her with a soft smile. “That means it’s really happening. You’re going to that school.” Dana nodded slowly, but her smile faded a little. She folded the letter carefully and looked at Dean, her gaze searching.
“But… that also means I’m leaving,” she said softly. “You.” Dean’s smile faded as well. He leaned his elbows on the table and looked at her seriously. “Yeah, that means you’ll be gone for a while. But it doesn’t mean you’ll lose us, kiddo. We’re still your family.”
Dana bit her lip, her eyes shining with emotions she didn’t quite understand. She stepped closer to Dean. “I know,” she said softly. “But… it feels weird.”
Dean nodded slowly. “I get it. It’s a big change, but your mom and dad went to that school right, so I think you at least should give it a try?” Dana took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. “Thank you Dad.”
The words were out before she knew it. Her eyes widened in shock, and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Dean froze. He blinked a few times, as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.
“What did you just say?” he asked softly. Dana blushed brightly and looked down at the ground. “It just came out. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Hey,” Dean interrupted her, his voice soft but firm. He stood up and stepped toward her. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “No sorry. Really.” Dana looked up, her eyes wide and uncertain. “It just felt… right.”
Dean smiled, and this time it was a smile that softened his entire face. “You know what? It feels right to me, too.” Dana’s lip began to tremble, and before she knew it, she was wrapping her arms around Dean. He held her tightly to him, his hand gently stroking her hair.
“You have nothing to be afraid of, kiddo,” he whispered. “We’ll always be your family. Whether you’re here or in that castle.” Dana sniffed softly and pulled back a little, her eyes still glistening. “Thank you, Daddy.” Dean nodded, his own eyes a little more moist than usual. “You’re welcome, kiddo.”
When Sam came home a little while later, he noticed that there was an owl outside the bunker and he smiled. The majestic animal was perched on the metal bars outside the bunker doors and hooted at Sam as he walked by. He opened the door to the bunker and walked down the stairs. He opened his arms just in time, before Dana rushed to him and jumped in his arms. “Uncle Sam, uncle Sam, the letter came!” She looked up at him with a contagious big smile and he grinned back. “Well that’s great kiddo!” Dana dragged him along and he grinned at Dean, who looked mighty proud.
Dana showed him the letter and he dumped his bag on the floor, before he sat down and read the letter. While he was reading the letter Dana hopped around with excitement. “What do you think?” she inquired. “Well, we need the let them know if you want to go there. The owl is waiting outside for your reply.” Dana looked over at Dean. “So I can answer them that I wanna come?” Dean winked at her. “You go find some paper and we will write a reply to them.” With that Dana let out another squeal and raced to her room. “Be right back Dad!”
Sam froze for a moment, his eyebrows shooting up as he glanced at Dean. Dean gave a small shrug, his face softening with emotion.
“She called you Dad,” Sam said quietly, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Dean smiled, his voice low. “Yeah. She did.”
Dana came back running and held a piece of paper in her hands. “I wrote down that I would like to come, and wrote down my name.” She showed Dean. He swallowed when he saw her name:
Dana Lilian Potter-Winchester
“Let’s go find that bird,” he said, swallowing the lump in his throat. They walked up the stairs, opened the door and Dana saw the big owl perched on the metal rod. She looked at the bird and then at Dean. “Uhm… I actually have no idea what to do here,” she giggled. The bird ruffled his feathers and hooted at her. He hopped a bit closer. Dana held the note in her hand. “I addressed it to professor McGonagall. Uhm, she needs to get this. Will you take it to her?” The owl hooted and stuck out his leg. Dean snorted and with some tumbling the note was attached to the leg and the bird had left.
***
Later that evening, after Dana had gone to bed, Dean stood in the bunker kitchen, his hands tightly gripping a mug of coffee. He stared at the wall as if that was where he would find the answers to the questions that haunted his mind. The sound of footsteps brought him back to the present. Sam entered the kitchen, his face serious.
“We need to talk,” Sam began bluntly. Dean took a sip of his coffee and put the mug down. “Sounds serious.”
“It is.” Sam leaned against the table and crossed his arms. “Do you know what we’re going to do when Dana goes to Hogwarts?” Dean shrugged. “She’s going there, we’re staying here. We’ll send letters, and if she comes back here during vacations.”
Sam shook his head slowly. “That’s not enough, Dean. She’s only ten. She’s going to a completely different world. She needs us there.” Dean’s jaw tightened. “So what do you propose? That we leave everything here and move to friggin England?”
“Yes,” Sam answered without hesitation. “Why not? We have nothing to keep us here. The bunker is a good base, but our priority now is Dana. And you know as well as I do that she could be in danger. We can’t be thousands of miles away if something happens.”
Dean sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I know, Sam. But it’s not that simple. This is our home base. Everything we have is here, we help other hunters from here.” Sam stepped forward and placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “Our home base is where we can keep her safe. It could be in England. We could find a place, something similar to the bunker, but there.”
Dean looked at his brother, doubt visible in his eyes. “What if it doesn’t work? What if we don’t fit in there?”
“We fit in wherever we can make sure Dana is safe,” Sam said softly. “She’s been through so much. She deserves to know that we’re always there for her, not just by letter.” Dean thought for a moment, his gaze sliding to the kitchen door where Dana had disappeared not long ago.
“I just want her to be happy,” he mumbled.
“We both do,” Sam confirmed. “And I think the best way to do that is to stay close to her. She needs a family that’s really there.” Dean slumped his shoulders and gave a short nod. “We’ll find something. Something that works for both of us. But I don’t want her to think we’re smothering her.”
Sam smiled. “She’ll see it for what it is: love.” Dean took another sip of his coffee and grinned weakly. “So… England, huh?”
Sam nodded. “England.” Dean sighed deeply. “Then we’ll just have to find some better coffee. I hear they only drink tea there.”