Pairing(s): undertones of Dean Winchester/Iris Chapel, mentions of Auror Nathan Ridley/Healer Meredith Jennings, and mentions of past Cedric Diggory/Hannah Potter
Summary: With Dean gone for the night, Ridley takes Hannah and Iris on a ghost hunt.
Words: ~7,600

Episode 07: The Hunt

July 29, 2005

Red Lion Motel, Salem, Massachusetts

Hannah woke up when she heard something tapping on the window. She rolled onto her side, glancing at the window. There was something blurry and white there. Reaching out, Hannah grabbed her glasses off of the nightstand. As she sat up, she put them on. The blurry white thing came into focus as Hedwig carrying a letter.

A smile spread across Hannah's face as she leapt out of the motel bed. She wondered over to the door, glancing at her brother, who was sound asleep. Since there was no way of opening the window, Hannah opened the door. Hedwig leapt off of the window ledge and flew through the door, flying over to Hannah's bed. Hedwig landed on the headboard.

Hannah closed the door, and walked quietly back over to her bed. She sat down on the bed, and stroked Hedwig's feathers.

"How are you doing, girl?" Hannah asked, stroking Hedwig's feathers.

Hedwig blinked.

Hannah untied the parchment from Hedwig's foot. She glanced at the handwriting and smiled, recognizing it as Sirius'. She tore open the letter.

Dear Hannah,

I want you to be safe happy. I think you might be right about going to America to find the Winchesters. No one would think to look for you there. It's a safe place – safe than here, where I am. If your find happiness with the Winchesters, stay with them. Just know that I will worry about you.

You're right, I've known about Mary Winchester and the procedure your mum went through to have you. All Lily and James wanted was a family. Through Mary, they got that. I don't know much about Mary or her family. I know she was married to some bloke – Jack, Johnny or something that started with a J – and she had two children, Sam and Dean. According to Lily, Mary's parents were dead, killed in the 70s in a home invasion. I never knew how to tell you. You deserved to know, but I never thought I would be the one to tell you.

I won't tell anyone where you are – not even Moony. For extra precaution, I've burnt your letter and I've cast some charms on Hedwig so she can't be used to track you. Stay safe, and I don't take any letters from Ron and Hermione. There here with me, and I can't tell who's side they're on – yours or Dumbledore's.

Love you kid,

Sirius

P.S. Your birthday present is on its way.

Hannah smiled sadly as she folded the letter back up. At this moment, she really missed Sirius. There was little more she wanted than a hug from her godfather. He probably safer where he was at, in hiding. She stroked Hedwig a little more before grabbing some clothes from her trunk and heading to the bathroom.

She took a quick shower. Some habitats were hard to break after living with the Dursleys' for years and sharing a bathroom with Parvati and Lavender for a few years. After her shower, Hannah pulled on her clothes, which were a pair of denim shorts and a red tank top. She slid her bracelet-wand onto her hand. She turned to look in the mirror.

"Siccare!" Hannah said, waving her right hand next to her face. Before her eyes, her hair dried itself. Hannah shook her head, watching her reflection. She pulled the two hair-ties off of her wrist and pulled her hair back into loose pigtails.

Hannah left the bathroom and placed her pajamas back in her trunk. She grabbed her bag and sat down on her bed. She pulled out one of her new books on electricity in the American Magical Society.

Dean woke up about an hour later. He rolled over, facing Hannah. He smiled at her before getting up and heading to the bathroom. Dean came out around forty minutes later. He dressed in a pair of jeans, a black tee, and his brown jacket.

"Let's get something to eat," Dean said. "I've starving."

Hannah looked up from her book and nodded. She marked the page, and dropped the book onto her bed before following Dean out of the motel room. She opened the passenger side door and slid in.

"What time is Iris coming over today?" she asked as Dean backed out of the parking space.

"Sometime around two," Dean answered.

The drive to a diner wasn't too long. Hannah followed Dean into the diner. She noticed a pattern. Whenever they ate (outside of the hospital), it was always at local diner. There had to be more options. It was something she would try to talk to Dean about.

The second Dean sat down in a booth a young twenty-something waitress came over. She stood a little too close. Hannah slid in across from her half-brother, and the waitress spared her a glanced.

"What can I get you?" the waitress asked, leaning over to show off her assets.

"Menus," Hannah replied. The waitress hadn't even brought one over for Dean.

The waitress' face turned red before she turned and ran to the grab menus. She returned a few minutes later. "Here," she said, setting the menus down. She turned and ran off again.

Dean eyed the waitress' backside for a couple seconds before glancing over the menu.

When Hannah was handed her menu, she had opened it up and started looking through it. She quickly decided on what she wanted, and put her menu down before pulling out the book she started early that morning.

The waitress came back several moments later. She smiled nervously at the two, showing off her braces. "What can I get you?" she asked sheepishly.

"I'll take the bacon special and coffee," Dean answered, handing the waitress his menu.

"Can I get the get the breakfast's lovers with a side of fruit instead of ham?" Hannah asked.

The waitress nodded, scribbling away on her pad. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asked, glancing up.

"Orange juice, please," Hannah replied, handing over her menu.

The waitress walked off, leaving the two siblings in silence. Hannah finished reading a chapter in her book before grabbing the copy of the local newspaper off of a nearby table. She thumbed through, glancing over the funnies and skimming the sports sections. At some point, the waitress returned with Dean's coffee and Hannah's orange juice before leaving again.

Hannah didn't pay too much attention around, her attention held in an article she was reading. It sounded like a local tall-tale of sources. The Hell House. The article documented the recent vandalism, and the house's horrible history. Since the 1960s when a double murder-suicide took place there. There were a number of deaths on the property, some accidental and some murders. The house's number didn't help "The Hell House" haunting stories: 4377.

"Here you are," the waitress announced, placing two plates of food down while pulling Hannah's attention away from the newspaper.

Hannah folded the newspaper up and sat it down next to her before starting to eat her breakfast.

"So, your birthday's coming up," Dean began awkwardly. He wore a nervous smile.

"The thirty-first," confirmed Hannah with a nod. "It's not a big deal."

Dean frowned, taking a bite of his bacon. Even with John, birthdays were a big deal. He took the day off of hunting, and both Sam and Dean skipped school. The day was spent doing whatever Sam or Dean wanted. He needed to do something special for Hannah. It was her fifteenth birthday.

Silence fell between the two siblings. Hannah flipped through the newspaper as she nibbled on her fruit salad. Eventually the siblings finished eating, and Dean paid with his new bank card. When they left the diner, Hannah took the newspaper article with her. There was something about it that unsettled her.

When they got back to the motel, Hannah flipped through a few of her books. There had to something in one of them that could explain what was going on. While she was busy going through her books, Dean decided he would need to ask for Iris' help. He had no clue what to do for a fifteen-year-old girl's birthday. Too bad Sam wasn't around. He spoke fifteen-year-old girl. Luckily, Dean had a few days to plan it.

Most of the day passed with Hannah searching through her books while Dean tried to keep himself occupied. He needed to tell Hannah about "the family business," but he didn't know how. He also needed to figure out what to do for school in a few short weeks.

Around noon, Dean took Hannah to a taco cart a few blocks away from the motel. They ate lunch under the shadow of tree on a bench. Afterward they wondered to the motel. Hannah and Dean watched an episode of Dr. Sexy, M.D. until Iris arrived.

"Hey," Iris waved to Hannah when she entered the motel room.

Hannah returned the wave as she pulled out another book.

"These are for you," Iris said, handing Dean a handful of brochures. "They're your schooling options for Hannah."

Dean nodded, glancing over the front, glossy covers. There were a number of schools: Salem Institution for Witches in Salem, Massachusetts; Nightshade Academy for Magic in the Washington area; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom; Sakura Hill School of Traditional Magic in Japan; Sydney Academy for Witches and Wizards in Australia; and Victoria's Institution of Higher Magic in British Columbia, Canada. There was even a brochure for homeschooling.

"You need to decide soon," Iris said, taking a seat on Dean's bed.

Sighing, Dean nodded. That made sense. The new school year began in September. He would look over the brochures, talk to Iris or Ridley, and then talk to Hannah. Dean wanted Hannah to get a say, but it was ultimately his decision.

"So, what are we doing today?" Iris asked, glancing over at Hannah.

Hannah shrugged, not looking up from her book.

"You look over those," Iris ordered, getting up from Dean's bed, "before meeting with Sawyer tonight."

Dean frowned. What meeting with Sawyer? He couldn't remember making one, but he probably to one when he adopted Hannah. Given all the paperwork, it made sense he might have forgotten. "Do you remember what time?" he asked, taking a seat on his bed.

"I think it was around six," Iris shrugged. "Call and check."

During the exchange, Hannah picked up another book. So far, she hadn't found what she wanted. The Hell House, or whatever it was called, sounded like a muggle tale of a haunted house, but that made no sense. Sure, she knew there were ghosts in the Wizarding World, but they hung around the Hogwarts. Why would a ghost haunt someplace? So, she continued to search through her textbooks looking for the answer. Maybe she could ask Ridley.

Dean wondered outside and called Sawyer, getting the time and the location. They were meeting at some upscale restaurant at six. After calling Sawyer, Dean called Ridley. He wanted someone to stay with Hannah while he was gone. She was fourteen and she was capable of looking after herself – she got all the way from her relatives to Boston, Massachusetts, all by herself. Dean would feel better knowing someone he trusted was there with his sister.

...

Dean left to meet Sawyer before Ridley showed up. Ridley was up to something, Dean knew that much. If he had to guess, Ridley was busy with Healer Jennings. Ridley liked her for some reason. When Dean left, Iris promised to stay with Hannah until Ridley arrived.

"What do you know about haunted houses?" Hannah asked Iris, tossing another book to the side.

Iris turned to the fourteen-year-old with a raised eyebrow. "Not much," she replied. "There fairly common in the muggle society."

"Really?" Hannah asked curious. She had never heard of a real haunted house when she lived with the Dursleys. She had heard Dudley and some kids talk about ones from amusement parks.

"Yeah," Iris answered. She worked over to Hannah's bed and took a seat. "What's with the interest?" she asked.

Hannah handed Iris the article from the morning newspaper.

Iris read over it, frowning.

"Something about seemed off," Hannah explained. "Like, it was more than an unlucky house. So, I started searching through my books, but I couldn't find anything."

Iris sat the article down. "Haunting are an auror's job," she explained. "You should ask Ridley." Iris knew that Dean was a hunter, and also specialized in haunting. Since Hannah didn't seem to know that, Iris figured she shouldn't be the one to tell her.

Hannah nodded. At least she had a starting place.

.oO0Oo.

62 Restaurant and Wine Bar, Salem, Massachusetts

Dean met Sawyer at the bar. They ordered their drinks before being seated. The restaurant was nice. The walls were painted red with a brown trim. The décor assented the brown trim. Paintings and artwork from local artists hung on the walls. The waiter came over, and took their orders.

"Have you decide where you're sending Hannah for school?" Sawyer asked when the waiter began to walk away from their table.

"No," Dean answered, glaring at the man. He hadn't even had custody of Hannah for a week. He hadn't really had the time to think about where she would attend school in the fall. If Sawyer had forgotten, Hannah was released from the hospital yesterday.

Sawyer sighed with a shake of his head. He took a long sip of his cocktail before saying, "You need to make these decision and now. Hannah needs to be enrolled somewhere by her birthday."

Dean glared harder at the man. It might be his job to butt into his and Hannah's lives but it was far from appreciated. "We haven't had the time to discuss to it," Dean said, snapping at the man. "Hannah was just released from the hospital."

Sawyer sighed, setting his cocktail down. "You need to start discussing it," he said. "If Hannah isn't enrolled anymore by her birthday, she might be forced into attending Hogwarts. It's the school her parents wanted her to attend, and her trust vault will pay the tuition on August first, meaning she'll be enrolled for the year. Once the tuition is paid for the year, it'll hard to un-enroll her."

This was news to Dean. Then again everything related to Hannah was news for Dean. He would be having this conversation about schools with Hannah tonight. He had a feeling it would be an unpleasant conversation. Besides, he still needed to have the conversation about "the family business" with her. In fact, Dean should get a will in order incase something happened to him on a job. He needed to make sure Hannah was looked after by someone he trusted.

Dean sighed, taking a drink of his beer. Was this what being a parent was like? Because it sure sucked. He had to make a ton of decisions and think about how his actions could effect Hannah's future. He was never having any kids.

"Hannah isn't going back to Hogwarts, no matter what," Dean declared.

"If she's enrolled, then those grades and her O.W.L. scores will be on her permanent record," Sawyer explained.

"What are 'O.W.L. scores?'" Dean asked. Sawyer needed to explain these things, or Dean needed to get a book to.

"O.W.L.s – or Ordinary Wizarding Level – is an exam that European students take," Sawyer began. "It's a subject-specified test, and the score determines whether or not a student can continue taking that subject. The U.S. version is the M-PSATs, which is firsthand practice for the M-SATs."

"Anything else I need to know about?" Dean demanded.

"Yes," Sawyer replied.

Dean took another drink of his beer. This was going to be a long night.

.oO0Oo.

Red Lion Motel, Salem, Massachusetts

Ridley showed up at seven with a stack of Disney movies and a few boxes of pizza. He expected the evening to be easy, spent watching Disney movies and eating pizza with Hannah, maybe getting ice cream. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Iris was hanging around, refusing to leave. All because she had a feeling that Ridley would take Hannah to do something stupid. As if! Dean was trusting him to watch his little sister. Ridley wouldn't do anything to break that trust.

While, unless it had to do with something fun and daring. "Fun and daring" was a combination Dean specialized in. It was highly unlikely that Hannah specialized in it as well. What were the chances? It wasn't like "fun and daring" adventures were genetic.

Sure, Ridley knew about some of Hannah's adventures at Hogwarts. But that was at school. She never had "fun and daring" outside of school. There was no way she would start now, tonight with Ridley watching. No matter what Iris said.

There was absolutely no way!

"What do you know about hauntings?" Hannah asked shortly after he arrived.

Okay, maybe there was a slight chance, but it wasn't like Dean ever needed to find out.

"They happen often enough in the muggle society," Ridley began. "As an auror one of my duties is to battle the supernatural in the muggle society."

Hannah frowned. "There's more than haunted houses?" she asked.

"Of course," Ridley said, flopping down onto Dean's bed. "Your brother would know. He hunts the supernatural more than me."

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked. Why would Ridley think that Dean hunted the supernatural? Even though Hannah didn't know her brother too well, it sounded crazy.

"You know Dean's a hunter," Ridley replied, rolling his eyes. "He and John, his dad, are among the best in the country. They're better at hunting than most aurors."

Hannah's eyes widened. Maybe the idea of Dean hunting the supernatural wasn't so crazy. Why hadn't Dean mentioned it? It might explain his criminal history. "Well," Hannah began, grabbing the newspaper article, "someone should do something about this house."

Ridley summoned the article and scanned. "You're right," he agreed. "The first step is research. You need to figure out who's ghost it is."

"I would guess Peggy Matthews," Hannah said. "She killed both of her daughters before killing herself. If not her, than maybe one of her daughters, Agnes or Patricia." Being one of the Matthews made the most sense. They were the first violate deaths on the property.

Ridley nodded. Dean had only had her a few days, but he managed to teach Hannah already. "The next step would be to investigate," Ridley stated. "You should go with Dean tomorrow."

"We could always go now," Hannah said. Someone else could get hurt. The article was likely to draw attention to the house and someone, like Dudley, would be stupid enough to check it out. If she waited to go with her brother tomorrow it might be too late to save someone else.

Iris said nothing, but crossed her arms.

Ridley thought for a moment. He could take Hannah out tonight, but it would be her first hunt. Dean wouldn't need to know. If Ridley took Hannah out now, than she would have some practice and experience by the time Dean took her hunting. "You need to change," Ridley said.

Hannah nodded, a look of determination crossing her face. She hopped up from the bed and dashed over to her truck. After sorting through her clothes for a minute, she found something and entered the bathroom. As quickly as she could, Hannah pulled on a white tank top and a navy henley shirt with a pair of blue skinny jeans. She returned to the room a moment after entering, and grabbed of mid-calf combat boots and her leather jacket.

"Better," Ridley said, getting up from Dean's bed.

Hannah grabbed her holly wand and the penknife Sirius gave her from under her pillow. Her wand-bracelet was still around her wrist. It was something Hannah didn't think she would ever remove.

"Before we leave, you need a crash-course," he declared, launching into an explanation on how to tell if a place was hunted (readings on an EMF), and everything else he deemed important.

Hannah took a seat on her bed, and listened dutifully as Ridley explained everything. It was a lot of information.

After he finished talking, Ridley glanced at the newspaper article again, memorizing the address. "We're going to apparate there," he said, offering Hannah his right arm.

Hannah took the offered arm as Iris helped herself to the left arm.

"I told you I was sticking around," Iris said.

Ridley sighed, but didn't say anything. He disapparated away.

.oO0Oo.

The voicemail of Dean Winchester, main phone.

Message, left Friday, July 29, 2005, at 8.01 PM:

"Dean, Iris here. You know how you wanted me to call if Ridley did anything stupid? Well, he's going to do something stupid. I texted you the address. I have a feeling we're gonna need your help."

.oO0Oo.

"Hell House," Salem, Massachusetts

Ridley led Iris and Hannah into the alleged hunted house. Just because the newspaper article claimed it was hunted didn't mean it was hunted. Though, sitting through the front door sent a tingling sensation down his spine, and had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, which from Ridley's experience meant hunted house.

Luckily, no one was around. The house sat on a corner of the block, the houses surrounding it were abandoned. No one seemed to be interested in checking the house out.

His grip on the shotgun tightened. He had given both Iris and Hannah a quick crash-course in ghost hunting. Salt and iron repels ghosts. He had given Iris a shotgun with a dozen salt cartridges, and Hannah had her iron penknife.

The plan was rather simple. They would check out the house, see who was hunting the place, then leave to salt and burn the bones. It was simple and easy, it didn't seem like it could go wrong.

Ridley led the two females towards the living room. He stopped and reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He waved his hand around, clutching the phone, switching it to EMF detector mode. Ridley had no clue how his cell phone – or any auror's cell phone – switched between "normal mode" and EMF mode. It was something he was taught.

He flipped the phone open and pressed the call button, which read the hertz frequency. Ridley wasn't sure if it would work since the house meant have some electricity left it. The EMF would measure the derivative of the surrounding magnetic field, and it would pick anything with frequency above 30 hertz.

On his cell phone screen, the electromagnetic field read into the danger zone. So, either the house was hunted or there was too much electricity interfering with his reading.

"Get out of my house, you strangers," screeched a raspy voice.

Ridley whirled around, aiming his shotgun out in front of him. He didn't see the ghost materialize before it was too late. She was an adult of average height, dark rings under her eyes, frizzy and untamed hair that was standing on end, and she wore a nightgown underneath an opened dress robe. It was Peggy Matthews, like Hannah thought.

"Where are my daughters? My precious babies," she bellowed, pushing the air in front of her, making Ridley sail through the air and crash into the wall. "Where have you taken them?"

When Ridley hit the wall, he was knocked out, and the shotgun slid from his hands.

Iris froze, her heart pounding and breaking into a cold sweat. She knew this ghost hunt wouldn't end well, but she didn't think this would happen. "Hannah, we need to leave," she said, grabbing the girl's wrist. She yanked on the wrist and dragged Hannah to the door.

"What about Ridley?" Hannah asked, looking back at the auror.

"We won't be much help to him if something happens to us," Iris declared.

They were steps away from the door when Peggy materialized in front of it, blocking the way out. "I warned you," she hallowed. "Give me back my babies!"

Iris dropped Hannah's wrist, and aimed the shotgun and fired.

Peggy screamed before dematerializing.

With the ghost gone, Iris launched towards the door. She twisted the doorknob and found it wouldn't open. Glaring at the door, she casted a silent Blasting Hex with whirl of her wrist. The door was shattered.

Turning around to grab Hannah, Iris found the fourteen-year-old was missing. Iris cursed and started walking back towards the living room. Hopefully that girl was with Ridley.

.oO0Oo.

62 Restaurant, Salem, Massachusetts

Dean left the table and walked out of the restaurant the moment Sawyer started looking at the dessert menu. There was no way he was staying any longer. It might have something to do with Sawyer sticking him with the bill when he first meant Hannah because Dean didn't want to take the chance that he would pay for dinner. Sawyer downed those cocktails like there was no tomorrow, and they weren't cheap.

Once Dean was outside of the restaurant, he ran over to his baby and unlocked the driver's side door. He climbed in, and slammed the door close before starting the Impala up. Another reason he wanted to leave was because he had a feeling that Ridley was going to do something stupid. Iris had promised to stay and watch Ridley as he watched Hannah.

The drive back to the motel took about twenty minutes. When Dean parked outside of the room, he noticed something was off. He climbed out of the Impala and grabbed his stainless Colt pistol with ivory grips from his jacket pocket. He gently closed the door to the Impala, and walked toward the motel room. He opened the door a jar and slid inside, trying to keep the gun partly hidden. If he was wrong and nothing was going on, he didn't want to scare or startle Hannah. If he was right and something was going on, he needed to be ready to react.

The motel room was empty! There was no sign a person – Hannah, Iris or Ridley. There was a stack of Disney movies by the television and a few boxes of cold pizza on the table, Hannah's clothes she was wearing earlier were gone, and Iris' purse was hanging next to the door.

Something twisted in Dean's stomach, as he whirled around the room, trying to find something or anything that would point him toward Hannah. As he approached her bed, something did catch his attention. It was a piece of paper on the ground. Bending over, Dean snatched it. It was a newspaper article. He remembered Hannah reading the newspaper at the diner this morning. He skimmed the article.

Why would Hannah have an article on a hunted house? As far as Dean knew, Hannah didn't know anything about the supernatural – well his supernatural. Dean recognized the house. It was on his "to investigate" list. In fact, he had planned to do this job the day before, before he knew about Hannah.

Dean's stomach twisted more. He didn't even know if Hannah was at this house. He pulled out his cell phone and called Hannah's phone. It rang, and went to voicemail.

"This Hannah, sorry I can't come to phone right now. Please, leave a message, and I'll get back to you as quick as I can," Hannah's recorded voice announced.

"Hannah, where are you?" Dean demanded, coming across harsh than he intended. "I'm at the motel, and I can't find you or Ridley and Iris." He hung.

Next, Dean tried both Iris' and Ridley's cell phones. Both went straight to voicemail, like Hannah's.

With his calls complete, Dean noticed a new voicemail and text message. He would have ignored them, but he noticed they were from Iris, almost an hour ago. He listened to the voicemail, and that feeling in his stomach twisted and tightened more. He glanced at the text message, and felt his blood run cold.

Ridley had taken Hannah to the local "Hell House."

Worry and rage washed over Dean as he exited the motel room and headed out to the Impala. He climbed in and started the car before taking off. He drove as fast as he could to the "Hell House." He parked across the street from it and climbed out. Making a quick stop by the truck, Dean grabbed a shotgun and slammed it closed.

.oO0Oo.

"Hell House" (Inside), Salem, Massachusetts

The second Iris had released Hannah's hand, Hannah followed her heart and dashed off to Ridley's side. If something happened to him, it would be all her fault. It had been her idea to come here. Therefore it was her responsibility to make sure Ridley and Iris made it out, alive and in one-piece. Hannah knew she should have stayed with Iris, but Iris wanted to get out of the house and leave Ridley behind.

Hannah's plan should be fast, and hopefully she would be back Iris' side soon. Hannah just needed to run to Ridley, try to revive him, and get him to Iris' side. If Ridley couldn't be revived, then he would be levitated.

Returning to the living room didn't take too long. Ridley was right where Hannah had last seen him. Knocked out, and prompted against the wall. Hannah dashed over to his side, and crotched down.

"Rennervate!" Hannah said, casting the Reviving Spell.

It didn't work. Ridley was still out cold.

Hannah sighed. Of course it wouldn't be the easy way. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Hannah casted, waving her hand over Ridley's still form. Ridley's body levitated.

Before getting up, Hannah spotted the shotgun laying a few feet from her. She glanced around, checking for Peggy, before grabbing the shotgun. She had no idea how to use it, but it didn't hurt to have the extra protection. With the shotgun in hand, Hannah stood up. Casting another look around, Hannah started walking back towards the front door and Iris.

"Where are Agnes and Patricia?" Peggy demanded, materializing in front of Hannah. "What have you done to them? My precious babies. Where are they?"

Hannah raised the shotgun and aimed at the ghost. "You killed them over forty years ago," Hannah stated.

"I did no such thing," Peggy bellowed. "I killed the two impostors that were pretending to be my babies. They were not my babies." Peggy grew more enraged with each word she spoke.

Hannah pulled the trigger, still aiming at the ghost. The shot hit the ghost, and screamed as Peggy dematerialized.

With Peggy gone, Hannah walked as quickly as she could out of the living room. She couldn't run while levitating Ridley.

Iris came running towards Hannah, with a pale face and eyes darting every direction. She stopped when she saw Hannah before launching forward to pull the girl into a hug. "Don't ever do that again," Iris declared. "If something were to happen to you, I don't know what I would do – and I don't even want to think about your brother."

Before Hannah could say anything, Peggy reappeared. She was enraged.

"I need my babies back!" she screamed. "Give them to me. I know you have them. Where did you hide them?!"

"They're dead, killed by you," Hannah told the ghost. It was probably useless since Peggy only seemed to be getting madder.

Peggy glared and screamed as she knocked Iris and Hannah in different directions. Hannah's charm on Ridley was forcibly cancelled as Hannah flew through the doorway and into the living room. Hannah landed on the ground, and the shotgun fell out of her hands on impact. Luckily, she didn't slam into the wall when she landed in the living room.

Hannah sat up, and whirled around, looking for any sign of Peggy. Her hazel-green eyes fell on the shotgun, laying four feet away from her. She dove for it as a crazed laughter announced Peggy's arrival.

…

"Hell House (Outside), Salem, Massachusetts

Dean walked up the front door of "The Hell House" with the confidence, the worry, and the experience only a Winchester could pull off. Arriving to the front door, Dean found it blasted apart. His worry increased, but he didn't let it phase him. He had experience with worry on hunts, usually about Sammy. He was trying to remind himself that this was no different, but something kept reminding him that Hannah didn't have experience hunting or the training. Dean entered the house. He started walking through the house with his shotgun raised.

Arriving to the hallway was close to sending every instinct he had as a hunter and all of his training out the window. Iris was partly buried in the nearby wall, but she sounded like she was coming to. A shotgun laid several feet away from her. Ridley was unconscious on the other end of the hallway.

Dean spent a moment thinking about the situation. He needed to find Hannah, but he couldn't leave Iris and Ridley unconscious and defenseless. As he was thinking, Ridley moaned and his fingers twitched. Dean noticed and crossed over to his friend's side.

Crouching down, Dean shook Ridley's shoulder. "Ridley!" he hissed. He had no clue where the ghost, which he assumed to be Peggy Matthews, was.

Ridley moaned and muttered something under his breath.

Dean shook him a little harder.

Ridley moaned louder, shaking his head.

Dean growled, he didn't have time for this, and shook harder.

"No, Gregory, you can't make me," Ridley moaned, shaking his head.

Taking a deep breath, Dean tried again. This time he grabbed Ridley by the collar of his green shirt and shook. "Get up, Ridley!" he growled. "I don't have time for this."

With a moan, Ridley sluggishly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before realizing who he was looking. "Dean!" he said, straightening his posture.

"Get Iris and get out," Dean snapped, standing up. "I need to find Hannah, then burn this bitch."

Ridley nodded, as he climbed to his feet. He walked over to Iris' side, only stopping to grab the shotgun.

Without another word, Dean walked farther into the house. He would deal with Ridley and Iris later, after finding Hannah and burning the ghost and dealing with Hannah. Finding Hannah was the most important thing at the moment.

...

The shotgun was flung out of Hannah's reach as Peggy materialized in the room. Acting on instinct, Hannah leapt to her feet. She stood, facing the ghost of Peggy Matthews. Her heartbeat quickened. She needed to find someway to kill or vanish the ghost. Peggy was doing more damage by the minute she still walked the earth.

Hannah's eyes flickered over to the shotgun, it was in the doorway of what appeared to lead to the kitchen. Her eyes returned to Peggy after a second, just in time to see her flicker in place. Taking a chance, Hannah turned and ran to the shotgun. She grabbed it and continued running through the kitchen. From the kitchen she ran through the hallway, passing a few open doors before coming to a dead end at the bathroom door.

Peggy was right behind her, if the echoing laughter was any indication. Hannah glanced around, trying to find a hiding spot. At that moment, she wished she had brought her Invisibility Cloak. It hid her from the ghosts at school, so she assumed it would work on all ghosts.

With sweaty palms, Hannah turned and faced the hallway with the shotgun raised. Before she got a chance to fire, Peggy flung her into the bathroom. Hannah landed against the sink. The bowl of the sink hit her lower back while her head bounced off of the mirror, shattering it. Hannah flew to floor in an ungraceful heap.

"I've lost my patience!" screeched Peggy. "I want my daughters!"

Without another word, Peggy took control of the glass shatters littering the bathroom floor around Hannah. She crackled, mad with glee, as she used the shattered to cut Hannah. Hannah quickly noticed what was going on and protected her face with arms and hands.

As Peggy continued her assault with the glass, Hannah rearranged her arms so she could glance around for the shotgun. It was six feet away. "Accio shotgun!" Hannah said softly, trying not to draw the ghost's attention.

The shotgun came sliding across the floor. She grabbed it and jumped to her knees, aiming at the ghost. Before Hannah could fire, someone else fired and Peggy dematerialized with a scream.

Dean appeared in the doorway with a scowl and a shotgun. He glanced around before allowing his gaze to fall onto Hannah. He looked her over, taking in the numerous cuts on her hands and exposed arms, and her face.

"Let's go," Dean said, his tone harsh.

Hannah flinched at the tone. She rose to her feet, and followed behind Dean as he quickly walked through the house.

Exiting the house was uneventful. There were no run-ins with Peggy, and Dean didn't say anything to her. Doubt started to cloud Hannah's thoughts. He was going to send her away, possibly back to the Dursleys'.

Outside of the house, Ridley and Iris were leaning against the Impala. At the sight of Dean and Hannah, both looked relieved before climbing into the Impala with Ridley in the front and Iris in the back.

As Hannah and Dean approached the car, Dean took the shotgun from Hannah's hand without a word. She watched with curiosity as Dean opened the trunk, and placed the shotguns underneath the false bottom. Hannah's eyes widened at the sight of the weapons.

Dean closed the trunk and motioned for Hannah to get in the car. Without a word, Dean walked passed Hannah and got into the driver's seat and started the Impala.

The drive was rather quiet, the only noise coming from the motor. Hannah watched out the window as things flew by. A little later, Dean was pulling into the motel parking lot. He turned the engine off.

"Han, go wait inside for me," Dean ordered.

Hannah nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor. She opened her door and got out. Walking to the motel room door, she dug her card key out of her pocket. When she arrived to the door, it took Hannah a minute to open it. She stepped into the motel and leaned against the door.

Tears started running down her face. She forced herself to grab a change of clothes from her trunk before heading into the bathroom. She changed her clothes before treating some of her wounds and brushing her hair.

When she returned to the motel room, Hannah noticed Dean wasn't back yet. She tossed her clothes in her trunk and returned the penknife and her holly wand underneath her pillow. Hannah climbed onto her bed and laid down. Grabbing Padfoot, Hannah rolled over onto her side. She drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

.oO0Oo.

She was in an unknown apartment. A blonde young woman of average height was placing a plate full of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies – based off of the smell – on the table with a handwritten note. The blonde smiled and grabbed a cookie, taking a bite as she wondered towards the bedroom. Upon arriving to the bedroom, the blonde changed out of her mini skirt and tank top and into a light pink nightgown.

The blonde climbed onto the bed and grabbed her novel off of the nightstand. She opened it, and started reading. The red numbers on the alarm clock started speeding by. Eventually the numbers slowed down.

The blonde frowned and glanced over at the clock. Her frown deepened. She grabbed the cell phone off of the nightstand and dialed a number before holding it up to her hear. The blonde continued to frown and hung up the phone. She sat it back down on the nightstand.

The blonde sighed and closed her book before returning it to the nightstand. She got off of the bed and walked over to the window. She stared out it before walking back over to the bed. Grabbing her cell phone, she tried calling the same number. She hung up and flung the phone onto the bed and glared at it.

There was a flicker in the corner and shadow. The blonde didn't notice. Behind the blonde, a man walked out of the dark corner. He smirked, his yellow eyes narrowed.

.oO0Oo.

Red Lion Motel (Outside), Salem, Massachusetts

Dean waited until Hannah was in the room with the door closed. He turned his attention to Ridley and Iris, glaring at them. He was pissed, but he was also concerned about them. While Ridley was used to hunting, being knocked out still took a lot out of a person. Iris, on the other hand, wasn't used to hunting.

"What were you thinking, Nathan?" Dean asked, turning to Ridley. His tone was harsh. If something had happened to Hannah, Dean didn't know what he would do.

Ridley sighed and shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted with a shrug. "I thought I could take her out and get her 'field experience' or something before you took her hunting."

Dean glared at Ridley.

"Hannah was researching hauntings all day," Iris said. "She asked me, and I pointed her towards Ridley. He knows more about hunting than I do."

Dean said nothing. He hadn't even told Hannah about hunting. Honestly, he wasn't sure how. He planned to, but that conversation hadn't gone well in the past. Cassie was a perfect example of that.

"She seems to have natural instincts," Ridley said, drawing Dean's attention back to him, "and that whole 'saving people' thing that you do."

Dean glared at his friend.

Silence fell between the three of them. Dean leaned against the side of Impala and crossed his arms, glaring at Ridley. Ridley leaned against the Impala, looking down at Dean's feet. He knew he had failed Dean and broke his trust. Iris sighed and crossed her arms, men where so stubborn.

A little later, Dean spoke up. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said, pushing off of the side of the Impala. He walked towards his motel room without a backward glance at Ridley or Iris.

He opened the door and found the room to be dark. He turned the lamp on as he closed the door. Dean noticed Hannah was curled up on her bed and sound asleep. He turned his attention away and gather a few things before heading into the bathroom. He took a quick shower and pulled a pair of pajama bottoms and a shirt. Since Hannah was staying in the same room as him, Dean felt it was responsible to be dressed and not bring a woman back over.

He exited the bathroom and stuffed his dirty clothes into his duffle bag. As he headed over to his bed, Dean caught sight of Hannah. She was tossing and turning, sweat gleamed on her skin. She let out a scream, continuing to toss and turn.

Dean rushed over to her side, and shook her, trying to wake her up. Hannah screamed a little more before stopping, and Dean continued to try and wake her up. After a few more shakes, Hannah's eyes snapped up and she sat up. She glanced around the room before grabbing her glasses. She looked frantic, but calmed down a little.

"You okay?" Dean asked, his fingers tightening a little on Hannah's shoulders. The question was practically forced out of his mouth since it was 'chick-flick' like. He was concerned about his little sister, but he wasn't sure how to express it. When he had nightmares as a child, John gave him a gun and taught him how to ward off monsters. It never matter if the nightmare was about, John always reacted the same way.

Hannah glanced at her brother, contemplating her answer. A lie was on the tip of her tongue, but she had a feeling Dean would see right through it. "It was just a nightmare," she said. It was a new one, but it didn't matter.

Dean said nothing. How would Sam go about this?

The two siblings sat in silence.

"What do you know about ghosts?" Hannah asked, changing subjects. Dean knew what to do with Peggy Matthews.

Dean stared at his half-sister a moment before replying, "A lot."

"Can you teach me?"

.oO0Oo.

The voicemail of Sam Winchester.

First message, left Thursday, July 28, 2005, at 12.03 AM:

"Sam, it's Pastor Jim. I'm just calling to check in on ya. It's been awhile since we last talked. Please, call me. Your brother's done something stupid again."

Second message, left Friday, July 29, 2005, at 11.34 AM:

"Mr. Winchester, please call us to confirm your test day for the LSATs."

Third message, left Friday, July 29, 2005, at 3.21 PM:

"Sam, it's Pastor Jim, again. I know you don't want to talk about your family, but this is important, please call me."

Next part: Episode 08: John