SuperPotterLock - The Order of the Phoenix

Occlumency

This chapter gets a bit intense, so trigger warning for blood and abuse. Please skip if this upsets you.

A sense of dread settled over Grimmauld Place as the end of the Christmas holidays approached. Umbridge could have pushed through any number of new Decrees in their absence, and Castiel's continued silence did nothing to improve the mood.

Snape arrived on the very last day of the holidays, demanding to see Harry, and he came back up to his room to miserably inform them that he had to have extra lessons, in order to stop the visions he was having of Voldemort.

'I think I'd rather have the nightmares,' Ron said emphatically.

Mr Weasley finally left St Mungo's fully cured, and though it should have been cause for celebration, none of them were in a good enough mood.

Dean paced around their room while Sam packed up both of their trunks.

'Will you calm down?' Sam said exasperatedly. 'You'll see him tomorrow.'

Dean sunk down on the end of his bed, but nervously bounced his legs. 'I have a bad feeling,' he said defensively, 'and so do they.' He pointed at John and Sherlock, who were both already sound asleep.

'Whatever it is, we'll get to the bottom of it,' Sam said soothingly. 'Worrying about it now isn't going to help anyone.'

Dean fell back on the bed, too anxious to sleep, but he let Sam put out the lights anyway.

Dean was first out of the door the next morning, then the first on board when Lupin flagged down the purple, triple decker Knight Bus. He spent the trip getting more and more agitated with every stop along the way, until they were dropped off outside the gates of Hogwarts.

He left the others behind, running almost all the way up to Gryffindor Tower. Cas wasn't there, but that didn't deter him. He turned around and hurried over to Ravenclaw Tower instead, letting himself in. Again, no Cas. Losing momentum now, Dean went as fast as he could to the Shrieking Shack, Immobilising the Whomping Willow as he went. No Cas there either. Dean spent the rest of the day scouring the castle and grounds for Cas, but there was no sign of him.

'He's not here,' Dean said, standing in front of the fire in the common room, chewing his fingernails.

'Maybe he's ill or something,' Ron reasoned.

'I don't know...'

John, who was gazing into his crystal ball, shook his head. 'I can't see him. I don't know where he is.'

Dean scratched his arm, full of unease that extended through his lessons the next day. He didn't even bother to try focusing, knowing it was no use when Cas still hadn't returned to school. He was back to pacing in front of the fire by the next evening, ignoring his homework. Harry had gone to his Occlumency lesson with Snape, but the rest of them were sitting around the common room.

'This is definitely not like him, he would never miss class like this,' Dean said.

John was still holding his crystal ball, grimacing, lying across Sherlock's lap. He had been trying to find Cas since dinner with no luck. 'Come here,' he said to Dean, beckoning him over, hoping to replicate the push Dean had given him at Grimmauld Place.

Dean put a hand on John's shoulder, not finding it terribly difficult to think about Castiel, and John fixed his tired eyes on the fog within the crystal. Dean watched as the blood drained from his face and he grabbed Sherlock's arm.

'I think - I think you should go through his things.'

Sherlock too paled and got up, running from the room.