AN: I chose Ravenclaw for Sam. Mary's bloodline trumps the whole 'Sam is Lucifer with demon blood' thing in the Sorting Hat's "eyes". Some American Horror Story characters here, just the Langdon family. Tate, Addie, and Constance. Various other characters from fiction, simply because I refuse to use an original character. They all end up Mary Sues, even unintentionally. SAM is the only "Mary Sue" here. Changed my mind about Amy and put her in Ravenclaw. Re-watched the episode about her, and noticed she was in a library and loved reading just as much as Sam does, even though she was brave (and foolish) enough to defy her own more powerful mother to save Sam. Constance is the head of Slytherin, because I don't know how to write Slughorn. Sorry.

Wands And Rock Salt - Chapter 3

Sam eyed Amy and Remus's entwined fingers warily. A werewolf and a kitsune. They were more suited to each other, even as friends, than a hunter and a monster ever would be. Sam sighed and walked into the Great Hall. He glanced at the ceiling.

He'd read that it was bespelled to look like a starlit night. It was, and it was beautiful. It reminded him of the nights when he and Dean sat on the hood of their car and just watched the stars, for hours, enjoying each other's company and the normalcy of the moment. Sam smiled and wished Dean were here, at least for this.

As if in answer to his wish, something hard and sticky hit the back of his head. He swore violently and glared in the direction of the volatile object. To his shock, Dean was grinning at him from the side of the Hall, holding what looked like a Civil War musket and a sword, as well as several sticky balls of twine.

Dean made a few really terrible samurai moves with the sword. Sam rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling. Dean was here! Somehow, Dean was here! He wasn't a wizard, but the Headmaster let him in anyway! All thoughts of Amy and Remus were gone. All he cared about was Dean right now.

He noticed the witch with the dark hair, Bellatrix, do a double take when she saw Dean. She was sitting at a table, but almost made a move to get up. Her mouth was open, as if she wanted to ask a question. She shook her head in confusion and sat back down at the behest of Cissy.

Sitting in a chair was a ratty old hat. Sam snorted. The boy from before, Severus, laughed at Sam.

"It's the Sorting Hat, you idiot. Ravenclaw's blood or not, you really aren't very smart, are you? What's with your girlfriend anyway? She's all over that boy, Remus." Severus pointed toward them.

Amy and Remus were leaning in closely, talking in whispers that Sam couldn't make out. He closed his eyes and concentrated. A sharp pain caused him to almost collapse. If it weren't for Severus catching him, he'd have been on the floor.

"What was that? The sight of your pretty Amy and Remus getting so close upsetting you?" Severus sounded oddly concerned, despite his apparent disdain for Sam.

"Nothing. It was...nothing." Sam hurriedly wiped the blood trailing from his nostrils with his robes. He'd tried to telepathically hear their thoughts. Something in this place prevented it. He glanced up at the furthest table, the high table.

The Headmaster, the man with a long beard and an extremely...feminine...magenta robe was staring at him with twinkling blue eyes that Sam just knew were going to annoy the hell out of him. He tried probing the man lightly. This man had stopped his telepathy. Was still stopping it. What was this?

Sam's vision blurred. He shook his head, trying to shake off the use of telepathy and the resulting pain. Severus was still holding him up. He shook off the boy's hand and stood.

Dean was staring at him, open-mouthed and looked ready to grab Sam and run. Sam gave Dean a subtle headshake. Dean's eyes narrowed in confusion. Sam shook his head again and signaled that he was okay, it was just a side effect of his psychic powers.

Severus nudged him a little. He jerked. Ah, the hat. The witch in green was starting to call out names. Campbell was near the front, but Winchester was near the end. Which one would he be?

He hated his father, but he'd never known Mary. He slid a glance at Dean. No, he was a Winchester. As long as Dean was, he was. Dean was always his destiny, he didn't even need prophetic dreams to tell him that. His life without Dean wouldn't be living. He'd dreamed of them, hunting together, as adults.

Using magic liberally to cast out demons, he'd even seen...angels, he thought. A man with green eyes and a pair of possessive blue eyes attached to Dean. Even, once, a kind man with shoulder length brunette hair and an ever-loving expression on the bluest eyes in the world.

A heavy man with red eyes, he and Dean talking to him, having a beer with him, uncle Bobby getting a hunter's funeral, everything. Even, somehow, his mother. Carrying a shotgun, wearing hunter's clothes, saving them, but eventually turning her back and leaving. Mary was gone. Would stay gone, no matter what visions of the future he thought he saw.

Sam jerked as his name was called. He closed his eyes. Samuel Campbell, the witch had called him. As he made his way toward the stool with the hat, he heard murmurs around him and the teachers, especially a short, almost..elfish...teacher. He had a shine in his eyes that was delight. A pale, morose ghost was staring at the young hunter in shock. Her lips pursed in confusion.

Sam ignored the stares and sat on the stool. The stern-looking witch placed the hat on his head without preamble, ignoring the apparent awe the other teachers had for him. The hat slipped over his eyes, darkness engulfing his vision. He fought the hunter's panic he'd always felt in pitch darkness.

A hunter and a witch? A Campbell, at that. Your mother would be proud. At least, the Mary Campbell I knew would have been.

Sam pondered why a hat was talking. He wasn't that surprised, really. It hadn't caused him to jerk in shock as he'd seen some students do. As a hunter, he'd seen much stranger things than a talking hat.

Bravery. Strong, so strong in you. Gryffindor would benefit greatly from that stubborn bravery and self-sacrifice complex, you know. But it isn't for you. I see Rowena's blood in you, and...something else. Ambition...you don't want to be a hunter, not really. You want to make your own life, flee from what your father and brother claim is your destiny.

What IS my destiny? Sam mentally asked.

No one can tell you that, kid. There's more to you than ambition and intelligence. I see darkness. A part of you that lives as part of dark magic. You can fight it, but it will be hard. Ravenclaw's intelligence will help you fight it.

Sam's heart clenched. Was this what the dream about Lucifer had meant?

You can fight it. You're smart, so very smart. You know more hunter lore than your mother did at your age, you know? Blood of the Founder, intelligence, and desire for knowledge. All of that is more powerful than your ambition and the dark blood running through your veins.

There is no other choice. I can see it now. It must be RAVENCLAW!

"No shock there." He heard the twinkling old man say with a chuckle. Same glanced at the high table. Was the old man a telepath as well? No one else seemed to notice. The short wizard was clapping ecstatically and Amy was giving him a small smile, almost wistful.

The morose ghost looked almost frightened. Her eyes were wide and she looked as if she were trembling. The Ravenclaw table was clapping happily as Sam made his way over to the table adorned with various hues of blue.

He found Dean in the crowd and smiled at him, although the hat's words about dark blood still concerned him. He would ask Dean to look it up later. Or at least give him the books so he could look it up. Dean barely knew how to read. Sam giggled to himself.

A girl he hadn't met before, obviously an older second or third year, prodded him in the shoulder. "Hi! I'm Adelaide! Welcome to Ravenclaw. We're the best house in the school!" She giggled and giggled. Sam noticed with shock that the girl had Down's Syndrome, and yet somehow made it into the "smart" house.

Sam looked back to the sorting going on. The Lupin boy he'd found himself inordinately fond of was sorted into Gryffindor after a long time on the stool. Amy's turn came shortly. Sam smiled, for himself and for her, when she was also sorted into Ravenclaw. She ran over and embraced Sam, thanking the Lord she was with him.

Sam ignored the rest of the sorting, only stopping his chat with Amy and Addie (what Adelaide preferred to be called) to watch the Severus student be sorted into Slytherin. His expression was morose and he stared at Lily across the Hall sitting at the Gryffindor table. A pity. They were such good friends...

The old twinkling man stood up after the Sorting was over, made a speech, and food materialized in from of them. Addie dug in with gusto. A male Ravenclaw sitting across from Sam laughed and said, "It's almost embarrassing that she's the smartest student in second year! I suppose having a teacher for a mother helps." He glanced at the teacher's table.

"The blonde woman wearing the fancy black robes." He wrinkled his nose. "She almost looks like a muggle, those robes are so tight." He went back to eating.

Sam looked at the woman he'd pointed out. She did indeed have robes tighter and fancier than the other teachers. Her golden blonde curls were done in a lovely style where they flowed up and around her inordinately attractive face.

Her beauty seemed to go beyond age, as she was the most beautiful woman Sam had ever seen and she was obviously over fifty.

"That's mom! She's a pretty girl, isn't she?" Addie said. She had a bit of pudding smudging the side of her mouth. Sam grabbed a napkin and kindly wiped it off. Addie was still beaming. "Someday, I'll be a pretty girl, just like mom!"

The male Ravenclaw snorted, but said nothing. Sam just smiled and nodded, not really knowing what to say.

Amy, however, took Addie's hand, "I'm sure you will. You're already really pretty. Maybe some makeup and blonde hair dye...you would look just like her." The kitsune smiled at the girl.

Addie looked at Sam, "Your friend is really nice. And a pretty girl. Do you like her? I would if I liked pretty girls." She giggled.

"Uh...yeah. Yeah, I like Amy. I always have. We're friends." Sam and Amy locked gazes for a moment, remembering the kiss. Their first kiss, and the talk about how all they'd ever wanted was to be normal.

Sam gasped, interrupted from his thoughts as plates of food appeared in front of them. Food he'd never seen before, never dreamed of before! Pizza, stale chicken, and cheetos were the life of a hunter. The young hunter piled his own plate full of the stuff he'd always dreamed of eating when watching those Olive Garden and Pasta House commercials on TV and watched as Amy filled her plate with the bloodiest pieces of red meat she could find.

Sam wondered for a moment if the old man at the pedestal had conjured this food specifically for Amy, as she was a fox in her soul and desired fresh meat more than the pasta and salad Sam loved. Or the burned hamburgers Dean preferred.

Sam glanced at his brother, sitting on the floor next to an older, scraggly man holding a cat. Dean was chowing down on a burger and fries that had apparently appeared along with Sam's food while the man with the cat was eating something that look suspiciously like cat food and sharing it with the cat. Sam wrinkled his nose at both of them. Burned burgers and cat food were not among his favorites.

The male Ravenclaw that had laughed at Addie watched the man eating the cat food, "You know, cat food has a lot of health benefits. My parents say animals are so healthy because of the food they eat. It keeps away nargles, you know."

Everyone near him, even Addie, stared at him.

"What are nargles?" Sam asked, as he'd heard of a lot of monsters, but not this kind. Perhaps it was a type of monster that only lived in England.

"Nevermind him. He's silly!" Addie laughed, "Look, the teachers are standing up now! I think it's time for us to go back to our dorms." She pointed, and they were standing, waiting for something.

The old man with the twinkly blue eyes smiled. "Good, good. Food and drink taken care of, now it's best to get you off to bed. Your Heads of House will go over further rules with you. Good night, new students and old!" He clapped his hands and the leftover food vanished, along with the plates.

Sam blinked. Further rules? Had he missed out on a rules list while talking to the others? Huh. That was a bad start, especially if he was supposed to be one of the smart ones. He should listen better. He stood with the other students and followed, apparently to where ever they would be sleeping. He wondered if it would be an actual bed, a soft one, not like the hotel beds he'd grown up sleeping on. Full of pests, hard as rocks, disgusting...

He glanced again at the teachers. The woman in the tight black robes, Addie's mother, had twined a silken green scarf around her neck and was heading toward the Slytherin table. Apparently she was their leader or something. Someone said something to her, and she simply silenced them with a glare. Sam shivered. He was really glad the teacher leading him appeared to be some type of nice dwarf person instead of...of an evil witch. Or whatever.

Everyone stood and Sam followed suit as they all tramped out of Great Hall. Sam almost groaned when he noticed the little man leading them toward a huge flight of stairs. The rest of his House started climbing the stairs. Sam reluctantly followed. He wasn't a fan of heights, nor of ten thousand flights of stairs.

After walking for what seemed like ages, they finally made it to the top, where a room waited. There was a door knocker with a bird on it. The small man clinked it a few times. The bird head said something, which the small man answered immediately. The door swung open.

"First years, your dorms will be up the stairs to your right. Everyone else, you know where to go. Off to bed, now!" The small man waved them off, "No dilly-dallying and no messing around!"

Sam sighed. More stairs. He climbed them with the rest of the first years. At the top, he noticed it was split into two small hallways. Amy and the other girls went to the left. Sam assumed it was the girls' dorm. He followed the rest of the boys to the other dorm room.

The young hunter gasped when he saw the room. It was better than any hotel he'd ever stayed in! The beds actually looked clean and soft! There was what looked to be a silk quilt on the bed, along with plush pillows, all a dark shade of blue lined with silver and gold. It was spectacular. Sam hoped where ever Dean was staying was just as amazing. Dean deserved a good bed, too, after all those years in dirty hotel rooms. Sam realized he had been staring for awhile.

The other boys had already chosen a bed. Sam grabbed his trunk and pulled it toward the only bed left, one by a small window, overlooking the grounds. Sam glanced outside. It was beautiful. Stars twinkled in the sky, the moon glowed silver and looked closer than ever, the lake shone with a beautiful blue of deepest sapphire. Sam pulled away from the beautiful view and quickly changed into his pajamas after pulling the curtains around his bed. He wasn't comfortable changing in front of others just yet.

After pulling on his sleeping clothes (he noticed most of the other boys had some type of robe instead of dingy pajamas like his own) Sam pulled back the covers and sank down into the softest bed he'd ever felt. It was like lying on a cloud. Tears almost threatened to spill over. This was almost too good to be true. Something was going to ruin this great start at a new life, Sam could feel it.

The hunter sighed and decided that was tomorrow's problem. Right now, sleep. He could barely keep his eyes open. The soft blankets, the dim light of the stars glimmering outside the window...Sam sighed deeply and settled back on the plush pillow, closing his eyes.

Sam felt at home, finally. A real home. Not a hotel, not the car, but a warm bed, friends, and Dean. His beloved brother. Everything he loved was here, just like a home. Relaxing, Sam let out a sigh. No father to yell at him, to force him to kill monsters, just comfort. It was magic. Real magic.

Sam felt himself falling into a dream. A good dream, at last. No Lucifer. No psychic premonitions, just a comforting dream, of home, of magic, and his mother, smiling down at him. No fires, no terrifying yellow eyes tormenting him.

It was perfect. Sam couldn't imagine things getting any better.