The three of them had Flooed over from Hogwarts to Bobby's house. (Which had been reconnected to the Floo network for this reason specifically.)

Bobby didn't even flinch when three boys came stumbling out of a fire that had lit itself in his fireplace that had until recently been hidden by a bookshelf.

"You boys better clean that mess up. Not you, Harry. You're a guest. You know the three time rule?"

"No sir?"

"Until you've visited a house three times, you're a guest. Which means that for three days you're a guest. After that you get treated like Sam and Dean. Alright, son?"

"Yes sir."

"And none of that Sir crap, it makes me feel old. Have a seat while those two idjits clean up that mess."

Harry obediently took a seat, not quite sure what to make of Bobby while Sam and Dean grumbled but swept the soot ad ashes the three of them had kicked up.

"What kind of books you like, son?"

Harry was startled from his thoughts. "I like just about anything, si- Mister Bobby."

Sam and Dean choked on laughter.

Bobby made a horrified face. "Just call me Bobby, Harry. Please."

"Um, okay, Bobby."

It was a wonderfully awkward start to an awkward first week.

-x-

The first three days passed peacefully. Harry soon realized that Bobby's gruff exterior was just that- and exterior. He also saw that while he teased and insulted the Winchester brothers, it was purely in jest.

When the fourth day arrived, a heavy book was dropped in his lap after breakfast.

"Uh… Bobby? What's this for?" he asked in confusion.

"Got a little bit of a werewolf problem. You get to research."

Harry blinked.

Sam and Dean were a little surprised that Bobby had done that so soon.

"I- I don't understand."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "This is your first hunt, ya idjit."

"O-oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'. I ain't making you do research cause I don't know how to kill it, I'm making you do research cause you don't know how to kill it. So get researching!"

Startled, Harry opened the book after glancing at the title.

'Supernatural Creatures and How to Kill Them'.

-x-

"Silver knife or bullet."

Bobby grinned at Harry proudly. "Good job. Now, a full moon's coming up, and I'm gonna need your boys' help in tracking this thing down. And you had all better have a gun. Sam? Dean?"

Both boys pulled their gun from behind their backs.

"Good boys. You got any silver bullets?"

"Yep. Full clips, even."

"Good. Now, Harry. You ever shoot a gun before?"

He shook his head mutely.

"Well, get ready to learn. Come on, we can practice outside in the yard."

-x-

Like always, the Hunt never went the way it was supposed to have. The four of them had split up after they lost the werewolf in a forest, each armed with their own gun filled with silver bullets. The trees were spread out enough that they could keep an eye on each other, but it would be difficult to get to one of them in time if the werewolf got the better of them.

Harry was nervous. He didn't even have to face that troll back on Halloween, how was he supposed to kill a werewolf without getting himself killed?

A low growl from behind him startled him from his thoughts.

Harry slowly turned, hoping that the sound didn't come from what he thought it did.

Gleaming yellow eyes stared at him hungrily.

Harry was raising his hands to shoot it when it lunged.

The only things Harry was concerned about in the few seconds he fought the beast off was getting a clear shot at it, and not getting bitten.

It nearly caught his hand when he finally managed to aim the gun at the werewolf's face and pull the trigger.

He was prepared for it to slump to the ground bonelessly when it died, but the blood…

-x-

"…Harry! Harry, come on man, snap out of it!" Dean's voice called out at him.

He shook his head and looked around blearily.

"Here…" Sam said from somewhere to his right, where a blur shoved something onto his face.

When the world came into focus, he looked around again.

They were still in the forest, but Bobby was a little ways away, burning the werewolf's corpse, and Sam and Dean were hovering over him worriedly.

"You okay, man?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I think…"

Both of the boys sighed in relief.

"You know, you were lucky none of the thing's blood got in you." Sam said in a tone that meant he thought someone had done something stupid. "Your arm was ripped open, and the set of claw marks on your back is gonna scar."

"Scar?"

"Yeah. When we get back to the house, I'll track down a pair of mirrors and show you them. You've got like, thirty stitches."

Harry just grinned. "I've got a scar!"

Both Dean and Sam rolled their eyes.

-x-

Christmas morning, Harry was literally dragged out of his bed and into the kitchen. He watched Sam and Dean wolf down their breakfast disdainfully, but he started to eat faster when the brothers growled at him over their plates. Who was he to argue when they were in a hurry?

He had one bite of pancake to go when the brothers finished and dragged him away.

"Guys, come on, I wasn't done!" Harry whined.

"Presents! Presents!"

"Calm down ya idjits. You're makin' him nervous."

Harry's shirt was finally let go, and he reluctantly abandoned his breakfast to follow his friends to the living room.

In the center, there was a small tree on a table, surrounded by presents. Most were wrapped with newspaper, obviously from Bobby, Sam, and-or Dean. Three were wrapped in blinding, flashing colored paper- the Weasley twins, obviously. Another three were wrapped in plain Christmas paper (later found to be from Hermione).

While Harry was standing in awe, Sam was passing out presents, and one was shoved into Harry's hands.

Harry stood there, confused, while Dean and Sam stared at him expectantly.

"I- I don't…"

Sam rolled his eyes. "It's for you, Harry."

Harry stood there, staring at them incredulously. "Really?"

"Well, duh. Why d'ya think we wanted you over here for break? I mean, other than to give you a chance to hunt with us." Dean laughed. "Come on, open it!"

Shaking his head (grinning, too), Harry ripped the newspaper at the nearest gap in the tape, and found his present to be an Anti-Possession charm inside of a box.

He looked up with a shell-shocked expression. "I- thank you. This is my first real Christmas present."

Sam and Dean grinned, and ripped into their own presents.

"I- I didn't get you guys anything. I'm sorry." Harry said, scuffing his bare feet on the floor nervously.

"No worries, Harry. Your present to us is being our first real friend." Sam explained with a grin over a new machete. "Now quit having a pity party and open your damn presents."

-x-

Not too long after that, they were Flooing back to Hogwarts.

Dean had a smug, shit-eating grin when they met up again after taking their trunks back to their respective dorms,

"So, Harry. How'd you like hunting?"

Harry grinned. "You know, for all that it's dangerous, I think I like it."

Sam grinned also, though reluctantly. "It's a lot of hurry up and wait, but I can see the appeal now that I know it's an actual job. I can't wait to get out of school and get hunting for real. We won't have to scam credit card companies, or hustle pool for money, and we'll be helping people."

Dean clapped his brother on the back, making him wince. "Well I'm glad you came to your senses, Sammy!"

"Don't call me that, jerk."

"Make me, bitch!"

Harry watched on in amusement while Sam did just that.

-x-

END OF HARRY POTTER AND CHRISTMAS WITH THE WINCHESTERS