Dean Winchester. Lawrence, Kansas. 7294 Meadowlark Drive. The upstairs bedroom three doors to the right.

Amongst bills and other assorted mail, Dean found a strange letter addressed to him. He held the odd letter with a confused look. He wasn't sure who it was from, or if he should open it. Sure, it had his name on it, but still.

He brought it and the other mail to his parents, hoping maybe they knew what it meant. His mother saw the red seal and smiled. "I knew you would be accepted. This is fantastic!"

This only confused Dean more. "Accepted? Accepted where?"

"I haven't told you about this before because I wanted it to be a surprise, but... you're a wizard, Dean."

He found this hard to believe. "I'm a what?"

She showed his father the letter as he sat at the dining room table reading a newspaper. "Look at this, John! He's going to Hogwarts this year!"

This caught his attention, a smile spreading across his face. "Well, lucky you. Wish I was a wizard like Mary here."

"A... what?" He was still very confused.

Mary set the letter down on the table and looked Dean in the eye. "Dean, when I was around your age, I was accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While I was there, I was taught spells, potions, defense against the dark arts, and the like. And this year, you'll be doing that very same thing."

Dean was still busy processing the whole wizard thing. "I'm... a wizard?"

"Yes. I know, it's a lot to take in, and maybe I should've told you about it sooner, but I just wanted it to be a surprise."

"You know how crazy you sound, right?"

She smiled. "Don't worry, you'll get used to the idea."

"Okay, well, where is Hogwarts? I have a feeling a place like this isn't just a hop, skip, and a jump away."

"No. You'll be taking the Hogwarts Express. There's a specific train station where you'll find platform nine and three quarters."

This also threw Dean a bit. "Nine and three quarters?"

"Yes. It's a hidden platform where wizards and witches go to find the Express. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find some other wizards to help you out."

This was too much for Dean to process in one evening. "Okay, so where's this train station?"

"Well, there's quite a few, actually. A bunch are scattered across the US, but the 'main station' is in London. It had to be that way since there are American students as well as British. You'll be taking the one in Lebanon." (A/n: Ilvermorny doesn't exist in this universe because fuck that shit)

"Lebanon. Not too far from here, right?"

"Well, it's a lot closer than London."

Dean grinned, happy he wouldn't have to take a plane to get to the Hogwarts Express. "Anything important that I should know about this place?"

She thought for a moment. "Watch out for the Slytherin kids."

He didn't know what this meant. "The... what kids?"

"Slytherin. They're a bunch of bad seeds. And I know for a fact that you won't get placed there. That Sorting Hat knows better."

"Seems a bit... rude, don't you think? Not everyone is the same."

She nodded. "Yes. But trust me when I tell you that I've never met a... good hearted Slytherin." He didn't want to argue with her, especially since this seemed personal. He let it slide, for now. "Now, there's four houses. One is Slytherin, then there's Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, where I was placed, in fact."

"Where do you think I'll be placed?"

She gave it some thought. "Well... certainly not Slytherin. Probably not Hufflepuff. What do you think, John?"

He looked up from his paper again. "What?"

"Which house do you think Dean will be placed in?"

He just scoffed. "C'mon, Mary. You know I don't know a thing about your damn school."

She grinned slightly. "I'm thinking either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. My last year at Hogwarts, Gryffindor won the House Cup."

"House Cup?" Dean repeated.

"Never mind that, let's look at the letter."

Dean opened the envelope, reading the enclosed letter. "'Dear Mr. Winchester, we are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Jody Mills, Deputy Headmistress.' What does she mean, owl? Is that some kind of code word for something?"

"Nope. A very literal owl. You also have a choice of a cat or a toad."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go with an owl."

She smiled. "I had a cat. Her name was Hermione."

Dean looked at the supplies list. "Where am I gonna get all this stuff? Robes, pointed hat, 'dragon hide gloves', are you kidding me?"

"Don't worry. There's a place in Texas. I know someone who can take you."

"Who?"

"His name is Bobby. He works at Hogwarts. He's the groundskeeper and he's a real nice guy, I think you'll like him."

Dean realized something. "Today's August 29. I only have a few days to get all this stuff. So, how are you supposed to get in touch with this Bobby guy?"

There was a knock at the door, as if it were the answer to his inquiry. He noticed his mother's smile and was fairly sure he knew what was going on, but it seemed a bit... out there. "Mom. Is that-"

"Go get the door!" She interrupted, still smiling. "C'mon!" She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the door, opening it herself. Behind it stood a gruff looking man in a trucker hat.

"Hey, Mary." He smiled.

"Bobby." She returned the smile, wrapping her arms around Bobby. "It's been too long."

Bobby briefly returned the gesture. "Don't I know it. It's good seeing you again." He noticed Dean standing there. "So, you must be Dean."

"That'd be me." He replied.

He held out his hand. "I'm Bobby. Bobby Singer."

Dean reluctantly shook his hand. "So, you'll be taking me to get my... Hogwarts stuff?"

"That's right. Well, enough chitchat. Let's go."

~

Castiel eagerly went to the mailbox, looking through the small assortment of mail. But he was disappointed when he found nothing but bills addressed to his Aunt Naomi. He went inside and put the mail on the kitchen counter.

"It's not here yet, Aunt Naomi." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

She saw his disappointed look. "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be here soon."

"The term begins on the first of September, right?"

"Yes. That's the way it always is."

"Well, August is nearly over, and I haven't gotten the acceptance letter yet. Are you sure this is the year that I'm getting the letter?"

She sighed sharply, smiling small. "That's what your parents always said. Remember?"

He looked down at his feet, remembering his mother and father's tales of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The letter had to arrive this year. It just had to.

"I mean, Gabriel got his letter on August 1 or something. He had plenty of time to prepare and stuff. I mean... maybe I'm... not a wizard at all."

Naomi put a hand on his shoulder. "Your mother and father were some of the greatest wizards known to Hogwarts. Of course you're a wizard."

"Then where's my letter?" He looked her in the eye as he asked this, knowing she couldn't provide an answer.

They suddenly heard a strange noise at the door. Like some kind of bird call. Castiel went to the door and opened it, finding an owl on the porch with a letter in its beak. He took the envelope, an the owl flew away.

"Was that... an owl?" Naomi asked from behind with a small smile on her face.

Castiel opened the envelope, reading the letter inside. "'Dear Mr. Novak, we are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'" He smiled, happy that he was accepted. This was a moment he'd been waiting for practically his whole life.

"You've been accepted!" Naomi's smile grew.

Castiel turned to face her, a smile on his own face. "I'm going to Hogwarts!"

"Oh, this is fantastic! Now, I've kept your parents' books, so you have those, and I'm sure you'll fit into your father's robes. All you need is a pewter cauldron, a wand, and an animal. You can have either a-"

"Cat, owl, or toad. I know this, Aunt Naomi."

"Oh! And your parents left you something at Gringotts."

"What did they leave me?"

"You'll see. Now, I'm going to take you to a nearby town to find you what you need. Ollivander's for a wand, oh, they make the best wands."

"What did mom and dad's wands look like?"

Naomi finally ceased speaking when he asked this. She knew he would ask about this. "I have them upstairs. Follow me."

She led him upstairs to the attic, which was old and dusty. She found a small box, dusting it off. She removed the lid, revealing the most beautiful wands. She carefully lifted the silver one from its place. "This was your mother's. She was... quite a gifted witch."

"Can I...?" He let the sentence hang in the air.

She understood what he was asking. "Yes, just... be gentle with it."

She handed him the wand, and as soon as he touched it, he feel an odd surge of energy. The tip of the wand began to glow a dim red. There was a strange gust of wind as he held the wand, feeling its power flow through him like a rushing river.

Naomi snatched the wand from his hands. "Ah ah. No magic in the muggle world."

He sighed sharply. "I didn't even do anything. The wand just did that on its own."

This intrigued Naomi. "Really?"

"Yeah, I don't know what happened."

She smiled, knowing exactly what happened. "Castiel, I believe this is your wand."

His eyebrows furrowed together as he tilted his head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't choose the wand. The wand chooses you. And I believe your mother's wand has chosen you."

This took Castiel by surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. Like mother, like son." She smiled. "Now, let's find the rest of your school supplies."