Even

"You aren't very good with human interactions, are you?" Harry noticed. He had kept Teddy busy for a couple of hours with books and games so that heavy topics didn't arise again. A six-year-old boy shouldn't be thinking about dying, especially not with that much excitement. Harry was still angry with Castiel for revealing secrets about Heaven. He had yet to properly talk to the angel after that. He focused on getting lunch ready instead.

Castiel stood by the small window that looked out into the overgrown backyard. He wasn't used to normal human interaction, that's all. When Harry was reading that book to Teddy and, later, playing some sort of a game, he hadn't known what to do but sit and watch. It's what he has always done… Watch. He had watched Harry for the past year. "No," he mumbled. His usual human interactions were with Sam and Dean, and all of that involved killing something very unusual.

Harry broke off, casting a guilty look over at Castiel. The angel was staring out the window, quiet and pensive as he often was. He seemed preoccupied. "Um, how long has it been since you… you know?"

Castiel guessed that Harry was talking about his descent to the mortal world. "Three years."

"That's not long at all."

"Feels like a long time." He finally turned away from the window and faced Harry. "Do you need help with lunch?"

He ended up with a knife in one hand and a carrot in the other. So human. He started slicing the vegetable thinly as per Harry's instruction. Soup was on the menu. Harry was working on the broth, throwing some mushrooms into the pot and waving a wand at the ladle so it would stir the concoction steadily. "Can you die, Castiel?"

"Of course."

"Even angels die?"

"Everything dies." Castiel glanced at Harry out of the corner of his eye. "Sometimes more than once."

Harry snorted in derision. "Bet that doesn't happen often, huh?"

Castiel was amused by that tone. "What is it you are called?" He tried to remember. "Boy-Who-Lived?" When Harry let out a huff of air, he knew he was right. "It's an apt name, considering."

Harry had grown tired of that moniker ages ago. "Considering what?" It was always the go-to joke during many Weasley gatherings after a few glasses of wine. "You can stop smiling," he grumbled. "It's not that funny."

Castiel hadn't realized he was smiling at all. He quickly looked away.

"Besides," Harry pressed on, "it's not as if I actually died. Near misses, that's all." Loads of people had near misses. "Anyway…" He decided to change the topic. "Were there any repercussions?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"For saving me."

"Oh." On the contrary, Castiel had been let off easy. "No."

"That's good." Harry took the cutting board from Castiel and slid the chopped carrots into the broth that was simmering on the fire. "Did I ever thank you?"

"I know you are thankful."

"I'll say it in any case. Thank you."

"You are welcome."

Lunch was a happy affair. Teddy had a lot more questions for Castiel, but Harry had already warned the angel to answer discreetly. The boy was happy with any answer at all. He chattered away about dragons and goblins because Castiel seemed curious about them. He dragged Harry into the conversation that led him to recount his adventures in Gringotts with Griphook. Even though Castiel knew the tale, it was entirely different hearing it from Harry's perspective. Being in this magic house with moving paintings and strange instruments made all this seem surreal to him. It was as if time had stood still for a while, letting him pretend that there was no anarchy in Heaven and no trouble brewing in Hell. 'Normal' human interaction.

Harry was sliding the dirty dishes into the sink when Castiel walked into the kitchen. "Did you need anything?" he asked.

"Teddy's father is a werewolf?"

"Hmm, yes."

"I see…"

Speaking of the devil, Teddy skipped in with a bowl of ice-cream in mind. "Please?" he sang.

"Not today," Harry told him. "Want Grandma to scold you again?"

"I won't tell her if you don't."

"How about an orange instead?"

He wrinkled his nose and bunched his forehead. "That's healthy."

Harry smirked at him. "Good. Let's be healthy today." He grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl and started peeling it. "You want to get tall and strong, don't you?"

"I don't," Teddy pouted. "I want to be short and fat. I want ice-cream."

They bickered for a minute longer, but Harry didn't budge this time. So Teddy ended up with an orange. He slunk away sulking, leaving the kitchen in favor of his playroom upstairs.

Left to their privacy again, Castiel asked, "Has he killed anyone?"

Harry's eyes went wide. "Wh-what?"

"Teddy's father. Has he killed anyone?"

"Why?"

Castiel started to feel uneasy. Werewolves were monsters and monsters were sent to Purgatory when they died. He hadn't known about Teddy's father until the fact was brought up in conversation a short while ago.

"Castiel," Harry urged him. "Why are you saying that?"

He shook his head. "It's not important." He shouldn't be revealing these things to people who had no interest in knowing what lay beyond their mortal lives. He should be keeping things vague. That's what he had been told.

"Remus was one of the bravest men I knew," Harry said deliberately. "He couldn't help having transformations. He was bitten as a child. He would never hurt anyone." He was forever fighting for the rights of half-creatures. He felt strongly about the cause. "He was my father's best friend in school… They grew up together. My father knew and he didn't care. I know and I don't care. Remus died fighting with me."

Castiel felt the fierceness in Harry's plain words and tone. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"No, don't be sorry," Harry sighed. "That's not why I'm saying this." He had come off too strong. "It's just that… I don't want him to be seen for his flaws. He is so much more than that and he deserves more than that. Teddy's father was a werewolf, yes. But he was also my teacher. He taught me how to face my worst fears. He loved his wife and son very much. All of that must be remembered as well." He tilted his head at Castiel. "Do you understand what I am saying?"

"You really cared for him."

"I had to return the courtesy."

"... I am leaving now."

Startled, he stood up straighter. "What? Why?"

"I am strong enough," Castiel said. "Sam and Dean will worry."

"Oh." Harry blinked at him. "Right."

"Would you like me to stay?"

"Nothing like that." He was just surprised by the sudden departure. "I thought you might need the whole day to heal, that's all."

Castiel was becoming aware of his heartbeat again. "Because I would like to stay," he confessed.

"Really?"

"Yes." He nodded but kept his eyes downturned. "Dean has been praying, so I have to go now. But I enjoy speaking to you. If I could stay…" He wanted Harry to know that he would remember this day for a long time. "Are we even?"

Harry let out a helpless chuckle. So there was an ulterior motive after all… "Yeah," he agreed. "Even."

"If you are in trouble-"

"I know," he interjected. "You'll be around. Nothing for me to worry about."

"Nothing at all." Castiel would make sure of it. "Goodbye." He closed his eyes as his chest squeezed tight, leaving him breathless.

"Cas!"

When he opened his eyes, he was in a motel room in Arizona.

He jolted into awareness when he was grabbed by the shoulders. He staggered back at the sight of Dean so close to him. "What?"

"You were hurt!" Clearly panicking, Dean was inspecting him, patting his torso for evidence of blood. "Weren't you hurt? Where did you go? What are you wearing?"

He looked down at himself. He was still in Harry's clothes. "Oh…"

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, concerned by the angel's expression.

"No." He wasn't okay at all. He sat down heavily on the couch behind him. "I think I have fallen in love…"