the magician//d.winchester

1.

A dark family doesn't make you a dark person. That was certainly the case for me. A family of evil horrible witches, passing down the most horrible powers to me, it was really up to me to decide what I used them for. My name was Harper Barlow, Barlow was the last name of the hunter who adopted me 30 years ago. Jim Barlow hunter monsters. In fact, he murdered my entire family. Not exactly the father figure you'd expect. But he was 19. I couldn't be angry with him. I was practically a newborn, less than 4 months old. And my mother was killing a lot of people. Jim and his father and brother broke in, killed my mother, and dropped my two siblings off at a church. But they knew babies didn't make it in a shitty foster home in the middle of nowhere, so Jim begged them to take me. And they did. It was funny that I looked like him. Muddy brown hair, a freckled face and big, sleepy eyes. Slap a beard on me and cut my hair and I was him. He was my dad, more so than any witch ever could be. But Jim realized that having me forget my powers would just rot me. Eat away at me until I was as evil as my mother. So we found a way to express my familial power in a healthy way. By killing monsters that wanted to hurt good people like Jim. Even without my powers, I'd be a damn good hunter. I could shoot every gun known to man with scary accuracy, I was trained with throwing knives and melee. Hand to hand combat. Being able to summon the dead, inflict curses, it just helped speed the process up. Every witch in America hated but. But I was stronger than them, so they rarely touched me.

Jim was sick, really sick. He was only 50, and never thought a bad case of pneumonia he shouldn't shake would kill him. I'd rather it be a vampire, a djinn. No, just a bad lung infection. I had done everything I could, but I wasn't a healer. I could hurt people. I wasn't great at helping with magic. That's why dark magic genes sucked so god damn much.

It was a hot day at the end of August. We had celebrated my 30th birthday 2 weeks ago, when he wasn't so sick. It had been pretty bad from there. I hadn't gone hunting in a while, I couldn't think about going without Jim. I didn't want to. So here I was, keeping the windows open, making him whatever food he wanted. " Jim," I said, " Did you take your medicine?"

" Not yet."

I picked up his mug of tea, and his prescription bottle, walking it to his bedside. He was so sickly, his beard overgrown, his hair graying. His eyes were so tired. " How are the lungs today?"

" Full of nastiness." He smiled, " How's my little Harpy?"

" Still taking care of you." I rolled my eyes, " I'm gonna go over the property, fix my warding. I don't need any nasties getting here while you're like this."

" I could still kick ass." He said, " Hand me my gun and nothing gets through that door."

" Yeah yeah." I sighed, " Too much is going on in the world for you to worry about."

Other hunters always found a way to ruin things. Lucifer never wanted to say in the ground, the Winchester's and their angels always ruining things for the rest of us. With the pits of hell opened up and all it's little nasties just ready to burst out when the time is right. God knows what was keeping them in the ground. " What, it's just Satan." Jim said jokingly, beginning to cough violently.

I put my hand on his chest, muttering a spell until he stopped coughing. " My little witch." He sighed.

" I'll be back in an hour. I have my phone. Call and I'll be back in an instant."

" I don't doubt it."

***

I finished painting my wards above the door of our house. We lived on his fathers old farm, minus all the animals I grew up with. We used only a few of the barns, the barn I practiced craft in, where we stored our car and weapons.

I never felt disturbances out here. My warding kept every monster, demon and angel away. Humans I guess were an exception. I ducked as a knife was swung over my head. I pulled mine out from my boot, stabbing the leg of the person behind me. " Son of a bitch!" He yelled.

I yelled as the knife cut my arm, it burning like a familiar bullet. " A knife made of witch killers, you're fancy!"

I kicked him the stomach, raising my hand up, causing the two men to fall back. I knew who they were all too well. " Winchesters, are you kidding me?" I groaned.

Sam raised his gun, Dean still clutching his head, " We're famous." He sighed.

" You ended the world again and you're hunting a witch who doesn't kill people." I rolled my eyes, " Morons."

" Why are you killing monsters?" Dean groaned, " What kind of voodoo, hocus pocus shit are you stirring up?"

I pulled my hoodie up, showing the anti possession symbol on my side, " Because I'm a hunter you oafs!"

" You're a witch!" Sam said.

" I don't chose who gives birth to me, idiot." I said, " Not all witches are bad."

" Forgive us for being wary."

" Harper?" Jim yelled from inside.

I quickly opened the door, seeing Jim limping into the kitchen. " Sit down!" I said, helping him to the kitchen table, " You have a death wish."

" Jim? Jim Barlow?"

The two of the walked inside, and I raised my hand, " Don't come any closer."

" They're fine." Jim said, " I knew these boys before I found you.

" You're a decade older than me and you look like shit." Dean said, " Jimmy what the hell happened."

" Pneumonia." Jim sighed, " Quite the hunters death huh?"

" Have you been to a hospital?" Sam asked.

" Of course he has." I snapped, " I'm not an idiot."

" Just a witch." Dean mumbled under his breath.

I glared at him, his nose staring to bleed, " That was just mean." His said.

Jim held my hand, " I'm begging you boys, not to hurt this girl. Witches are bad news I know, but she's a good girl. The best hunter I know. She's strong. We've killed more monsters than I know any other hunter besides you two have. We've saved people. So many lives. Don't look at her like another witch. She's so much more."

I touched the back of Jim's head, and he relaxed. " Let's get you to bed." I said, and turned to the brothers, " And we are going to have a little chat."