Midway (Harry Potter/Supernatural) PG-13

[mhalachai]

Midway
A Harry Potter/Supernatural story
by mhalachaiswords

Summary: The year's not up, but Dean's not sure he's going to make it.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. Kripke and co. own Supernatural. I am but borrowing the characters for a brief time and shall return them intact at the end.
Spoilers: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows spoilers. Also for All Hell Breaks Loose in SPN.
Rating: PG-13 for language
Characters/Pairings: Nymphadora Tonks and Dean Winchester. Specifically, ghost!Tonks and Dean. If Tonks died in 1998 (HP Lexicon), then this is set in 2008. Reasoning in the story.
Words: 1,282
Author's note: This is penyn_1600's fault. She suggested Dean/Tonks back when I asked for suggestions for odd crossover drabbles last month, and this one just wouldn't stop.

~~~

Dean blinked. The air was clear and silent. No Sam, no werewolf. Worst of all, no gun.

And why the hell did it look like he was in a deserted midway?

"It's the stop in the road, before you go on."

Dean spun, hand going for the gun that was no longer at his hip. A woman, his age with shoulder-length purple hair perched on a ticket booth beside the silent Tilt-O-Whirl. Her eyes were alive, bright with curiosity, but filled with an unnatural calm.

No living person could ever look that calm.

Dean tried to swallow, his mouth so dry his tongue stuck to the top of his mouth. No. "I guess I'm not in Kansas any more," he said. The joke fell flat, not the least because his voice cracked as he realized what was going on.

He wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead. Not yet.

The woman on the ticket booth drummed her boot heels against the warped wood. "This is a place in the middle," she said, and Dean finally picked up the British accent in her words. "It's not really anywhere at all."

Dean pushed his hair off his forehead, worry gnawing at him. "Are you a Reaper?" Now, so close to death, he could remember another Reaper, another place in the middle.

He remembered that he had been ready to die, that day.

"I'm not a Reaper." The woman smiled, her lips parting enough to show white teeth. "And I'm not a demon, either."

"I never said you were," Dean said defensively. The woman's smile only grew wider. "Look, this has been fun, but I need to get back."

"Do you?"

Worry was quickly giving way to panic. "I need to get back," Dean said urgently, not pleading. Not yet. "Sam, my brother, he needs me. We were right in the middle of a fight, he can't do it alone!"

The woman just stared, and something in Dean broke. He turned on his heel and ran. He had to get away. He had to get back to Sam.

The farther he ran, ducking around abandoned midway rides, kicking up dust in the hot summer sun, the more mixed-up he got. Maybe he was dead and this was hell, he thought as his knees finally gave out and he dropped to the ground, panting and sweaty. No way out and all alone.

No more Sam.

No more anyone.

"This isn't Hell," a melodic voice said. A hand on his arm was helping him to stand. Dean tried to pull away, but the woman was strong. She hauled him gently to his feet. Then she let him go. "Not yet. Your year isn't up yet."

"Fuck off," Dean muttered, still exhausted.

She shrugged. "You got a choice to make, Dean. It's a choice you have to make now, before your year is up."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

The woman sat down on a picnic bench in the shade. For the lack of anything better to do, Dean followed her. "You made a deal. Your soul for Sam's life, and they gave you one year. If you died in that year, they got their prize a little early."

"So what?" He knew the deal. He'd made it, one last desperate attempt to bring Sammy back to him. And he'd pay the price, one day, anything to keep San safe.

"So it's not been a year, and you're dead." The word fell like a brick into the silence of the amusement park. She rested her chin in her hands. "But I've heard a rumor that God negotiates." She winked at him. "And I think you've just found yourself a loophole in the deal."

Dean's chest started to ache with something he hadn't felt in years. Hope. "What the hell do you care?" he demanded, not sure if this was a trick, if this was just another way for the demons to fuck with him.

The woman reached out and briefly covered his hands with hers. Her touch made his chest hurt more, his lungs start to burn. "The reason I'm still down here is I'm looking out for someone special to me. Someone asked me to look in on you, and it's good that I did." She twisted a ring around on her finger. "I have a little bit of leeway to looking in on lost little boys."

"I'm not a little boy," he protested without thinking, the crushing pain in the centre of his chest making it hard to talk. He hadn't been a child since the night his mother died, not really.

The woman shook her head, her hair turning blue as she did so. "In the end, we're all lost children fumbling in the dark. Sometimes you just need someone to hold your hand. Or in this case, to make your heart beat when it's having a little trouble."

Suddenly, every heartbeat in his chest spiked with pain. Dean doubled over, slid to the ground. Over the rush of pain and noise, he thought he heard the woman say, "I'm Tonks, by the way. I'll see you again some day."

He tried to answer, but the light was fading.

Then a laugh, a bright, hopeful, clean sound in the darkness. "But not for a long time yet."

~~~

He blinked, opened his eyes, then wished he hadn't. Every inch of him felt like a giant fucking bruise. He tried to lift his hand. Bad idea.

"Dean?"

Sam's voice. Dean closed his eyes, that unfamiliar hope filling him again. Sammy was still alive, and from the sound of his voice, disgustingly healthy. "You get it?" Dean managed to mumble.

"What?" Sam's voice got closer to Dean's ear. "Yeah, I got it. Damn it, Dean, I thought you were dead!"

Dean wanted to joke that he'd thought the same thing, but it was taking all his energy to breathe.

"Your heart stopped, I had to do CPR and everything," Sam babbled. "Do any of your ribs feel cracked? Should I take you to a hospital?"

"Sam?" Dean said. He opened his eyes to see his brother's worried face. He didn't think he'd ever seen a more welcome sight.

"Yes, Dean?"

Dean managed a weak smile. "Shut up, you big jerk."

A whole host of emotions passed over Sam's expressive face. Apprehension, worry, and finally relief. "You shut up, jerk."

"Butt-face. Go get me an aspirin. I'm going to lie here for a while."

Sam's hand closed over Dean's, making him frown. "You got it."

Dean watched Sam go, thinking about girls in silent, abandoned places in between; girls with hair that changed color; girls who looked out for lost little boys.

~~~

When Dean was strong enough to sit up without help, he kicked Sam out to go find some food that didn't come from the vending machine. Then he called Bobby.

"I need a bit of help to find someone."

"You got a name?"

"Yeah. Tonks. She's a woman, maybe my age."

There was a long pause. "Got anything else?" Bobby asked finally.

"She's English. And I think she's dead."

Over the crackly line, Bobby sighed. "Is she dangerous?"

Dean stared down at his free hand, calloused and empty. "I don't think so."

"So why am I doing this?"

Dean listened to the tick of the clock, the faint sounds of traffic on the road outside the motel. "You're doing it because I ask." He hesitated. "Please."

Dean couldn't put it into words, but he had to find Tonks' little lost boy and make sure he had someone looking out for him.

After all, he owed her a favor.

And maybe, just maybe, he owed her his soul.

Only time would tell.

end

Comments

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Crap! You damn well made me cry! Like I needed to cry some more tonight :) Absolutely beautiful, m'dear.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it. I wasn't sure where it came from, but some of those lost little boys need someone looking out for them.

Now, it might be interesting if Dean were to find little Teddy Lupin, yes?

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Sure, make me cry some more! But yes, it would be more than interesting :)

[jujuberry136.livejournal.com]

Awwww. I love how you blend the different fandoms so perfectly. And I love that Tonks is looking after her boy after death- it really fits my conception of her character perfectly.

I'm assuming you're talking about Teddy, but I could see how it would fit Harry as well. Teddy still has Harry and Andromeda to take care of him and love him, but I could still see Harry a bit at odds. Either way, I'd love to see Dean cross the Atlantic to check up for Tonks.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I needed some way to bring back Tonks into the mix, because of all the deaths in DH, I was *not* expecting hers the most (I mean, Remus had to die because he was one of the old guard, and at least one Weasely had to die to make Harry feel the angst, etc.) After seeing the OtP movie, I have even more Tonks love (Natalie Tena is *hot*).

I was talking about Teddy, but also to a certain extent all the other lost boys from the Voldemort war. Tonks would be checking in on all of them from time to time :)

[holy-schist.livejournal.com]

This was fantastic, but when you talk about Tonks looking in on all the lost boys from the war, it makes her sound kind of like Wendy. :)

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

I love fics that deal with the Bargain. Are you thinking of continuing this crossover?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about continuing. There may be some good ideas in the mix, but I've got so much else on my plate right now that I'm hesitant to say yes :)

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Given as how many of those plate-fillers are unfinished fic I already love, I have no problem with that answer :).

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, all the many many unfinished fics. I've been hacking away at Inevitable. Right now, Anita's macking on Jason *the ardeur and all) and Harry's yelling at Remus.

Oh, Remus and Tonks. Will they survive the end of Inevitable? Only time will tell!

And Dawning Light? Oh, Dawn. It's interesting. I've had the chance in recent weeks to observe some five-year-old girls, and I'm finally starting to think I'm getting Dawn right. She's morphed from the Dawn of the first chapter into more of a little girl, and that's all going to be explained next chapter :)

What else is on tap? Switchback, I know... I really need to reread my stuff to figure out where I am.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Oh, Remus and Tonks. Will they survive the end of Inevitable? Only time will tell!

Um, please? ;_;

[ccmom.livejournal.com]

You'd think that I would know better than to read any new stories from you. After all, you've managed to addict me to all the others. So what's one more? *sigh* Of course, I'm going to ask for more. I always ask for more. Especially the good ones. *wink* I liked it. The ending was sad because I don't think he'll have the time to find Teddy. Could be interesting if you continue this further...

[laney-1974.livejournal.com]

Oh I love this! Absolutely brilliant!

[firefox1490.livejournal.com]

holy carp you have to continue this. I'm sorry but this was good. It was so perfect it was cool. Awe man I was a little sad cause I'm still in denial about the whole dead Tonks thing but this I dont mind.

[neviditelny.livejournal.com]

Can I just say, "AWWWWW?"

And really, who would be a better guardian angel than Tonks?

[askani.livejournal.com]

This was very good. I agree that you should continue this with Dean and Sam traveling to England to check up on Teddy.

[impalalove]

Oh, whoa. Please tell me you're continuing.... PLEASE. *begs*

[thekams.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful! I love how you manage to have most of your quick fics leave us wanting sequels =P (and for some reason that sentence doesn't read right to me...whatever, lol)

I'm glad Tonks is looking after the lost boys...she's sorta like a female, grown up, ghost peter pan. Sorta. Heh.

[katie__pillar.livejournal.com]

Love it. Tonks looking out for lost little boys is great, and the thought of Dean and Sam going off to find Teddy is lovely.

[windy-smiles.livejournal.com]

Beautiful, beautiful story. Loved it.
I really like the idea of Tonks not only watching out for her own lost little boy, but for all of them.

And looking for Teddy is such a Dean thing to do.

Thank you for sharing! :)

[cadenzamuse.livejournal.com]

Oh! Oh oh! I *like* this Tonks--more edgy and multilayered than JKR lets her be, but where I think the character would go if JKR were a better writer.

And awww, Dean looking after Teddy.

This is such a seamless joining of the two universes. I like it very much.

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

Lovely, if tinged with sadness. Tonks would make a delightful go-between for heavenly redemption. The interactions between the boys were spot on, as usual.

[catling42.livejournal.com]

ooh, I really enjoyed this! that's an interesting way of making those two worlds interact