Damn, I'm on a role! Two plot bunnies finished in one day. Not that I've abandoned my ongoing works, it's just that I have an embarrassing accumulation of plot bunnies and am finally finishing a few.

Hogwarts AU, here's the setup:

Gabriel: 18, Slytherin

Dean: 16, Gryffindor

Castiel: 16, Hufflepuff

Sam: 14, Ravenclaw

Enjoy!

"Oh, and Balthazar hangs on by a thread! Looks like Raphael is making a move for the snitch as he tries to remount his broom. And he misses by a mile, the snitch vanishes! Balthazar is back on board and circling for the prize- another goal for Gryffindor, Jo is racking up points today, ladies and gentlemen."

Castiel worried his lip, watching uneasily as his friend started circling above the stadium again. That had been too close. Balthazar had almost been knocked clean off his broom by a well placed bludger. For a moment Castiel and most of the watchers had been sure he'd plummet from almost five hundred feet in the air.

Things like that had been going on from the game's start, almost two hours ago now. The only reason more fouls weren't being called was because it was expected. This was a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match after all. Balthazar, the Slytherin's Seeker, had been going dodging Raphael's sabotage all morning. Not to say Slytherin wasn't giving as good as they got, it was just that between the two Castiel usually rooted for Slytherin. He had about an even split of friends in each house, and one brother in each, but he'd always found Gabriel much more tolerable, and lately he'd had reason to avoid Gryffindor.

Currently, Castiel was hiding in the midst of a very packed stadium. It was easier today, what with everyone turning out for the grudge match, but he wasn't one to take chances. He'd shed his Hufflepuff colors to make himself harder to spot, sticking with plain robes and sitting amongst the people who'd come in from Hogsmead, cowl pulled up over his head as he sat with one shoulder to a tower decorated with the Slytherin house colors. He'd usually come just to support of his friends, but in these last few months he'd found himself never missing a single game, and usually trying to appear as ambiguous as possible in the process. It wasn't because he was ashamed or anything, or he had an avid love of the game. Quidditch was well enough, but he still always brought a book to the matches.

No, he was doing this because he'd started seeing someone. Someone he'd never thought would look at him that way, want anything to do with him. Why would they? Everyone knew them, girls were hanging off them constantly, they could have their pick of anyone in Hogwarts. Why would they spare a second glance for the Hufflepuff who always had his nose in a book?

"A narrow save by Winchester! Dean and Jo reclaim the quaffle and appear to be playing monkey in the middle as they take it back down the field. Michael is on the wrong end of the field fending off bludgers- ten more points to Gryffindor! Nice teamwork! Oh, and Professor Singer saves a Michael from a face plant. The Gryffindor beaters are aiming for Balthazar again, will they manage it this time?"

Castiel watched as Dean split away from Jo, dodging a bludger and making a run for the quaffle again. A wide grin was on his face, even now. The Hufflepuff's lips twitched a little. He knew for a fact that a majority of the resident females swooned over that smile. He wondered how many knew that this was the only way Dean would ever fly. He loved being on a broom, but airplanes terrified him.

"Balthazar makes a dive for the snitch, Raphael on his tail! It's going to be close! Oh, he pulls away at the last minute, Raphael can't make the turn- we have our face-plant! Raphael kisses the dirt and Balthazar gets back to searching for the snitch. An amazing feint!"

Castiel chuckled. Raphael should know better by now, really. He was too prideful, so sure no one could trick him or beat him, even now. It was why he hated Balthazar so much, Castiel's friend had a habit of proving him wrong. Ah, it looked like Gabriel and the rest of the chasers had the quaffle back. His eyes drifted to Dean, who appeared to be signaling one of their beaters.

The Hufflepuff chewed his lip worriedly. Dean's schemes usually worked, but they were almost always risky. Castiel didn't notice his hand had drifted to his wand until he noticed the wood biting into his palm.

Dean swooped below the Slytherin chasers making a rush down the field. Castiel saw the Gryffindor beaters working their way above them. He saw the maneuver for what it was moments before Benny sent the bludger flying. It knocked the quaffle from Gabriel's grip, right into Dean's hands. The chaser snagged the ball and rolled to the side, narrowly missing a blow from the bludger. Then he was turning to make a rush for the Slytherin goal posts all over again, where a scowling Gordon stood sentry.

Castiel relaxed a little. He glanced up at Balthazar, but it seemed his friend hadn't spotted the snitch yet. He wished they would hurry it along, though he knew finding a snitch was hardly easy. The longer a match went on, the more creative Dean got, and the more Gordon toed the line between legal and illegal moves. The Keeper was their team captain, though Castiel had no idea why. Yes he was good, but he was also brutal and unpleasant.

"Come on," he muttered under his breath.

Blue eyes rarely left the Gryffindor chaser after that. Normally Castiel worried in general, for both his friends and the brother he'd actually visit in at the healer's. He still did, but at the moment he was a little more worried about Dean. Dear, sweet, handsome, reckless Dean. The same Dean that had shrugged off his demands to be careful that morning, even with Sam backing him up. Sam, the younger brother who sat among a sea of blue robes across the stadium. The only other person besides Jo who knew.

Castiel would be sitting with his housemates, wearing his house colors, but the bright yellow made him easier to pick out. Besides, chances were 50/50 if he'd even come, never mind be so enthralled, concerned. Castiel had known for some time now that he had no preference in regards to gender, something that was made easier to come to terms with considering Gabriel was the same. He didn't mind people knowing he was dating another boy. Unfortunately, said boy wasn't quite as comfortable with that yet. Castiel was okay with the arrangement, mostly because he was introverted and shy by nature. If people got wind that he was dating the Dean Winchester, they'd have a field day.

More time ticked by. Gryffindor maintained a solid lead, but not one so large a snitch wouldn't cost them the match. Castiel watched anxiously as Gordon got more and more angry as goal after goal got passed him. He did block many of them, but not all. Balthazar continued to fake out Raphael, wearing him down, but sadly there were no more crashes. As usual, Dean and Jo were flying circles around the opponent's chasers. They were a very effective team. Jo was in the year below them, and while Castiel knew there were rumors about them, he was fully aware both Winchester brothers saw her as a sister, and vice versa. Her mother and step-father, Professor Singer, had been their foster parents for almost a decade now, after their real parents had died in a house fire. Dean would no more kiss Jo than Castiel would Anna. Not that way, anyway.

Castiel was chuckling as Jo gave Dean a very sisterly smack to the back of the head after he lost the quaffle to Gabriel when he saw it. The Slytherin beaters. They were herding both bludgers. The Gryffindor beaters were helping the chasers, providing distraction, making the Slytherin chasers think they were about to get hit and make it easier to take back the quaffle. They didn't know.

His throat went tight. He opened his mouth, but before anything could come out Uriel sent the first bludger flying. Dean saw it, easily avoiding the thing and continuing his pursuit. He never saw the second one coming.

The crowd gasped as the metal ball hit him squarely in the back of the skull, knocking him clean off his broom and sending him flying to the ground too fast for Bobby to catch him. For a moment, no one in the stands moved, then there was an uproar. Castiel didn't even notice what he was doing until he was dropping down into the field, dashing across wet grass to the limp figure lying in a tangle of red gear. Oh gods, he wasn't moving. Vaguely, he noticed someone in blue scrambling down the wall opposite. Sam, no doubt.

There were others running towards Dean too, teammates coming down from the air, but Castiel got to him first. He dropped to his knees and grabbed a handful of robes, rolling Dean onto his back. His eyes were closed, but he was still breathing. It looked like one arm had been broken when he'd landed on it, and his nose was bleeding, but otherwise he looked surprisingly okay.

"Dean, Dean wakeup," he urged, not noticing the others as they joined him.

"Dean!"

"Back up, boy, both of you."

Bobby grabbed Castiel by the back of the robes when he didn't move fast enough, hauling him to his feet so Matilda could get to Dean. She was already calling for a stretcher, checking for head wounds or any other potentially fatal injuries. Sam looked torn, but knew enough to keep back so Matilda could do her thing. Gabriel landed a few paces away, so did Balthazar and a few others in green. So he wouldn't have to look at Dean, Castiel focused on his brother.

Gabriel was approaching Sam carefully, like one might an animal that had been injured. "I didn't know they were planning this. None of us did. We wouldn't have let them go through with it otherwise."

Sam didn't say anything, eyes still locked on his brother. He didn't pull away when Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder, though. There was a four year age gap, and Gabriel took pains to ensure the many people with a grudge against him didn't know he had a soft spot for the gangly Ravenclaw, but at least this could pass as friendly remorse.

The rest of the players were starting to land now, too. Castiel scanned the ones clad in green, raw heat starting to boil in his belly. It erupted when he saw Raphael and Uriel off to the side, joining Gordon. All three looked like they were tying not to seem pleased with themselves.

The voices and the chattering faded, a ringing sound filling Castiel's ears. His vision was suddenly very, very clear. Not red, clear. A bitter taste filled his mouth, the wood of his wand biting into his hand once more.

Later, Sam told him he'd blasted Uriel and Gordon off the ground so fast no one noticed until the screaming started. He hadn't even used a spoken spell, just pointed and blasted them twenty feet into the air as he stalked towards the small group.

Normally, Raphael was better at him in almost everything, but this time Castiel had the advantage of surprise and a lot of rage. He sent his brother's wand flying from his hand before he could defend himself, then dropped his own so he could punch Raphael squarely in the nose.

Raphael stumbled back a step, a shocked look on his face. He touched his fingers to his nose, then stared down at the blood, uncomprehending. It made it all too easy to hit him again. And again.

When Bobby and about two other professors pulled Castiel off the Gryffindor, he had Raphael on the ground, sitting on his chest as he wailed away. They hauled him back as Uriel and Gordon dragged their friend to his feet, face bloodied and starting to swell. Castiel thrashed and kicked, still furious.

"He's on your team!" he shouted angrily. "You could have killed him!"

"Enough!" snapped Bobby. "Take him to the healers, then send yourselves to Headmaster Chuck's office. If we let you go, you gonna start punching him again?"

"No," Castiel relented grudgingly, still glowering at his brother.

Gabriel seemed to materialize next to him, giving an impressed whistle. "You do realize he's going to be pissed at you later."

"Let him." Castiel shrugged off the restraining hands, then stalked after Dean.

It took several hours, but eventually Dean opened his eyes. Raphael had already gotten patched up and sent to the headmaster's office by then, along with Gordon and Uriel. Dean had sustained a fractured skull, a broken arm, three cracked ribs and two broken, plus an assortment of bruises. Sam had only just left, coaxed away by Gabriel who insisted he take a breather and get something to eat. This meant Castiel was essentially alone with Dean when green eyes slowly flickered open.

Castiel leaned over, peering into his face. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap," was the mumbled reply. "What the hell happened?"

"You were knocked off your broom by a bludger to the head. It happened too quickly for anyone to catch you." He rattled off the list of injuries as Dean sat up on his good elbow groggily. "The cracked ribs are fixed, the broken ones shouldn't be much longer. You'll need a sling for that arm for a few days, and you'll have a very bad headache, but otherwise you should be fine."

Dean waited through it, hearing him out. Then he looked right at Castiel and asked, "Who did this? And where's Sam?"

"Gabriel is taking him to get something to eat. I believe it was executed by Uriel, but...

"Let me guess, Gordon and Raphael?" he inquired dryly, slowly laying back down.

"I don't understand why Raphael would-

"I do."

Castiel frowned. "I don't understand."

"He warned me." Dean chuckled, then winced. "His exact words were pretty general, 'you'll regret it' and all that crap. I thought he'd be a little more creative."

"Why did you not tell me about this?" Castiel protested. "And why is my brother threatening you? I knew he didn't like you, but-

"Exactly. He doesn't like me. Think of what happened when he found out I was dating his little brother."

Castiel stiffened. "How did he find out?"

"Beats me," shrugged Dean with his good shoulder. "Doesn't really matter, I guess. I told him where he could put his little threats and left him to it." He cracked a wry smile, adding, "At least Zachariah was smart enough not to get caught. Lazy bastard was circling me for a while."

"Dean, you were badly injured. You can't take this lightly."

"Why not? It's not going to change anything. Besides, people are going to wanna know why my own team captain was gunning for me."

Castiel looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

Looking up, he met a genuinely questioning expression. "You didn't want people to know about us. If they do, they'll know you're-

"Forget about it, Cass."

Castiel cocked his head. "I don't understand. Why the sudden change?"

"I haven't been fair to you, Cass. You shouldn't have to sneak around just because I don't want people knowing I've got the hots for a dude. Besides, they were bound to find out sooner or later. I mean, it's not like you're going anywhere, right?"

"Not unless you want me to, Dean."

"I don't." He ran a hand through his hair, then seemed to notice he was still in his Quidditch gear. Mouth twisting wryly, he glanced up at Castiel. "They gonna let me out, or keep me overnight?"

"I believe they wanted to observe you until morning, what with the head wound and all."

"Mind helping me get some of this stuff off?"

Cheeks turning a little pink, the Hufflepuff nodded. "Um, sure."

They'd removed what was left of the padding and outer robes by the time Sam and Gabriel came back. Sam was of course very happy to see his brother awake, and Castiel backed off to give them some space. He joined Gabriel, who was leaning against a nearby pillar, munching on Berti Botts Every Flavor Beans. His brother offered him some, and Castiel took a few.

"How's he doing?"

"He is fine. He'll probably sneak out tonight. Apparently Raphael threatened him."

"Found out about you two, huh?"

Castiel glanced at his brother sharply.

"Oh, please. Who do you think is running the betting pool on when you two take a roll in the hay?"

Heat rushed to his cheeks as Castiel stared at his brother, open mouthed. "What?"

"Well I didn't think it'd be fair, getting upset about him banging my bro if I want to bang his."

"Stop, Gabriel. Please, just stop."

One golden eye winked at him.

"Cass? You punched Raphael?"

Castiel tore his attention from his brother, focusing on the Winchester's. "What?"

Dean was beckoning him over. Castiel was moving before he gave it conscious thought. Sam was sitting on the empty cot next to Dean's, grinning. Dean looked half amused half worried.

"You should have seen him, took out Raphael before he knew what hit him."

The Gryffindor surprised Castiel by pulling him down onto the cot next to him, grabbing his hands. The blush remained in his cheeks, especially when Dean ran a thumb over the scrapes on his knuckles. They hadn't gotten healed or anything, he hadn't wanted to distract Matilda, then he'd forgotten. How had he forgotten his own hands were bruised and bloody?

"You remembered to do it this way, right? Nothing got broken?" Dean formed his hand into a fist, thumb wrapping around the outside of his fingers.

"Yes, I remembered." Castiel got the sense Dean didn't talk to many people, here or in the muggle world. He could sit and listen to him for hours, which was good because that was often what happened. Dean talked about everything from ghost hunts to bar fights when they were in the muggle world, often pausing to share random tidbits. One of them had been on how to make a proper fist that wouldn't dislocate your thumb the moment you got a solid hit in.

"Good," was the gruff reply. "So I take it he looks worse?"

"Not so much when Matilda was one with him, but he'll be bruised for a few days," Gabriel informed him, plopping down next to Sam. "Dad won't be too mad. I mean, come on, all he did was take away ten house points from Hufflepuff."

"Took away more than that from Slytherin. Gryffindor too. Plus they got detention and letters home. Well, except Raphael." Gabriel grinned. "I'm pretty sure dad ripped him a new one. Oh, and get this- all three were suspended from Quidditch for the rest of the year."

Dean whistled. "Wow. All that fuss over little old me."

Castiel wondered if Dean knew he still held his hands. Both of them. He'd been so cautious up until now, hyper aware of any way someone might see them together. Maybe someone else would have been insulted, angry. Maybe Castiel himself should have been. He was, at first, until he figured out Dean wasn't hiding it because he was ashamed. He was hiding it because he was scared.

"But, uh, you know people are going to start asking questions now, right?" Sam glanced at Castiel, then back at his brother. "Raphael might be an ass, but he doesn't do stuff without a reason."

"Well, then we might as well give 'em something to talk about. Screw it."

With that statement, Dean grabbed the surprised Hufflepuff and pulled him in for a very thorough kiss. Castiel started, but then relaxed. Not a lot, but a little. Enough to enjoy it, but not so much he forgot their brother's were right there.

Sam cleared his throat. "Seriously, Dean? I don't mind you doing whatever, just don't do it in front of me."

"Does this mean I can kiss him now?"

"What- mph!"

Castiel's lips curled up into a smile, and he reached up to tangle his hands in Dean's robes. Technically neither of their brothers were watching them anymore, right? Gabriel certainly sounded busy. Making a mental note to thank Raphael for cracking Dean's skull, he closed his eyes to enjoy the kiss.

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