I do not own Harry Potter or the Walking Dead.

PLEASE NOTE, FOR THOSE THAT HAVEN'T WATCHED WALKING DEAD, THIS CHAPTER MAY BE CONFUSING. THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF TIME SKIPS!

Wow, this is a long one :) Obviously this doesn't follow the Walking Dead series exactly, but it does skim it. Things will take a sharp turn to the left soon because I can't have them wandering zombie land forever when they have somewhere safe to go. Honestly, I don't see this being many more chapters, and since I don't know how the zombies came to be, I will probably be leaving that issue blank.

REVIEW PLEASE!

***HP

Sirius stood behind the couch staring down at his sleeping godson in concern. With a heavy sigh, he picked up a blanket and carefully draped it over the pale boy. "What are we going to do about tomorrow night, Remus?" he asked in a whisper.

Groaning, Remus kicked off his boots and propped his feet up on the coffee table. Even after these past few weeks of going from house to house, he still felt uncomfortable invading someone else's private home. Luckily, right now he was just too exhausted to care. Tomorrow night was the full moon and he was already feeling the effects of it.

Remus looked thoughtfully at Harry. "Sirius, I want to turn him as much as you do, but I honestly think it's too dangerous."

"It's too dangerous for him to be wandering around as zombie bait too," Sirius snapped. "He doesn't even have a wand for crying out loud."

"I know," Remus sighed in exhaustion. He had been going over and over in his head for days on how best to deal with the full moon situation. "Sirius, look at him. The bond is wearing on him, he can barely stay awake for longer than five hours and the bruise on his chest is now the size of a grapefruit. I'm afraid he won't survive the venom, and if he does, then the creature bond could also punish Harry worse for not completing the soul bond."

Sirius deflated. "I know, Remus, I'm just so scared for him. I'm scared if he doesn't get bit, if he doesn't get bit, if he doesn't find his mate, if we don't get back to Grimmauld...I'm just scared."

Remus grabbed Sirius' hand and pulled him down onto his lap. "All we can do is take it one day at a time and be there for Harry. I say tomorrow night we ward this house so not even a mouse can get in at Harry, then you and I go out in the moonlight. With you as an added werewolf, it will give Harry double the protection."

Sirius rested his head on his mate's shoulder. "Sounds like a plan."

Remus kissed his mate on the forehead then squeezed him tight. "Are you scared about tomorrow night?"

Sirius shook his head no, then after a long pause, he nodded. "I'm bloody terrified. Is it going to hurt?"

Remus took a deep breath then loudly exhaled. "The bite will hurt, but I will break the skin just enough for the venom to enter your bloodstream. I'll make sure that you won't be stuck with a large grotesque scar like the one Fenrir Greyback gave me. As the venom travels through your system it will feel like liquid fire. You will be out of it for the night in pain and running a fever. Most of the following day will be about the same as your magic learns to accept the werewolf DNA. By day three you should be feeling a lot better. You will find that your hearing, eyesight and sense of smell will be heightened, you will be stronger, faster and will like your meats on the raw side. You will have the rest of the month to get use to the new you and the presence of your wolf before fully transforming for the first time on the next full moon."

"Well, that doesn't sound so..."

Harry groaned from where he was laying on the couch. "It sounds like a bloody nightmare. Still, it beats having walkers gnaw on you."

"There is that," Sirius said, giving his godson a wink. "How are you feeling, pup?"

Harry slowly sat up, arms weak and trembling. "Better, I just needed some rest."

Sirius frowned, not liking how pale Harry was. They spent all day out in the sun avoiding walkers as they searched for his mate and yet he was as pale as Nearly Headless Nick. "Hopefully the bond will start taking it easy on you now."

Harry grimaced, wiping away at a tear that escaped his swollen eyes. He had been crying a lot lately, Remus had said that it was because his soul was mourning for Daryl. "You don't believe that anymore than I do, Sirius," he said breathlessly.

"No, but I can hope," Sirius said, giving Harry a sad smile. It was killing him watching Harry suffer. If Daryl had been magical, then a simple point me spell would have tracked Daryl down three weeks ago. Unfortunately, point me spells only worked on witches and wizards. "I say we raid this place for food and supplies, then after eating, we get some sleep."

"I second that," Remus moaned, getting to his feet. "We will have to stay here for the next few days, I won't be up to walking and fighting off zombies tomorrow and then Sirius will need time to recover." Remus looked apologetically at Harry. Each day they stayed in one place, Daryl could be getting farther away.

Harry stood up and gave Remus a hug. "It's all right, I need the rest too." It was true, the bond was effecting him more than he was letting on. Each day was becoming more of a struggle, he needed Daryl, and it wasn't just because of the bond. He missed Daryl so much and he would give anything to be with him.

***HP

Daryl stared in horror at his brother's severed hand still dangling from the handcuff. Things had never been the same between them after Harry, but he would never wish anything that horrible on him. He had no doubts that Merle was still alive, he was a survivor and a mean son of a bitch. It would take a whole lot more than some walkers and a missing hand to take him down. Still, he couldn't imagine how horrible it was to saw off your own hand.

The thought of his sweet Harry caused a sharp pain to lance through his heart. Why did it still hurt so much after all these weeks? If he was being honest with himself, the pain had gotten even worse. It was causing him to lash out at people and close himself off...not that that was any different than how he normally was, but the loss of Harry still made it worse. His dreams at night were filled with Harry's smiling face and sparkling emerald eyes. That was the reason why he slept so far from everyone else, he didn't want them to hear him cry out in his sleep.

"Daryl."

Daryl looked up their newest member and possible leader, Rick Grimes. He also happened to be the man that handcuffed his brother to the roof.

"We need to go for the guns," Rick said, grabbing the bag of tools that had gotten left behind earlier.

Sneering, Daryl turned and followed his brother's blood trail. Deep down he may blame Merle for Harry's death, but Merle was his brother and he had to find him. He had a hard time believing that Harry wouldn't listen to Merle and that Merle wasn't strong enough to protect Harry, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Harry was gone...he couldn't lose Merle too.

***HP

"I thought you said that the bite wouldn't hurt?" Sirius pouted, sipping on a Butterbeer. He was sitting up in bed, propped up by pillows and being fussed over by his mate. To his left sleeping soundly in the same bed was his precious godson.

Remus shook his head at his mate. "No, I said it would hurt, but I wouldn't leave a bad scar. How are you feeling?"

Sirius's handed Remus his empty bottle of Butterbeer. "My throat hurts from all the screaming and my bite mark feels funny, but other than that I feel pretty good." It was true, he was feeling stronger than what he had felt in a long time. Azkaban took a lot out of him, he was never physically healthy afterwards.

"The bite mark will tingle for a while, but it will lessen after your first transformation."

Sirius looked down at Harry and softly ran his fingers through his long inky hair. "How has he been?"

"The same," Remus sighed. "If you're up to it, I'd like to get moving first thing tomorrow. We need to find Daryl before we lose him."

"If you wanted, I could be up and ready to go in an hour," Sirius said with determination.

Smiling, Remus caressed his mate's cheek. He didn't know if it was the lighting or what, but Sirius looked so much healthier. It killed him watching Sirius go through such a painful change. After biting him, Moony laid at his side all night long crying. "Rest, you need it and so does Harry. He took care of both of us after the full moon and helped me with you yesterday."

Yawning, Sirius scooted back down onto the bed and snuggled up behind his godson. "Rest sounds good. Why don't you join us?"

Chuckling, Remus kicked off his pants and climbed in behind Sirius. "Remus?" Sirius whispered.

"Hmm," Remus mumbled sleepily.

"Why do I feel a hundred times more protective of Harry?"

Remus kissed the back of his mate's neck. "Your wolf sees Harry as your cub, or pup. You have always thought of Harry as your son, your wolf is just strengthening that bond."

"Has it always felt this strong for you?"

"Yes," Remus whispered sadly. "That's why I was so sick until Harry came back into my life. If wasn't the lychanthropy that was prematurely aging me and making me sick, it was the loss of my mate and cub. Every full moon was excruciatingly painful for me because Moony was punishing me for losing the two of you."

Sirius turned around and looked his mate sadly in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I..."

Remus quieted his mate by kissing him on the lips. "I should be the one that's saying their sorry. I should have tried harder to make everyone believe that you were innocent, but I was just a dangerous dark creature, Albus wouldn't even listen to me."

"It's over and in the past. Right now it's all about Harry and keeping him safe and finding that kid."

Remus internally groaned. He never asked Harry how old Daryl was, but he had a feeling that he was considerably older. For some reason he didn't see Harry being with someone closer to his own age, not after everything he had been through. Harry needed someone that could protect and provide for him. He just prayed that Daryl was only in his early twenties, he didn't think he couldn't handle it he was older...Sirius surely couldn't. As far as Sirius was concerned, no one was good enough for his Harry. If Daryl was a lot older, Sirius would hit the roof.

"Go to sleep, my love. I think in the morning we need to find a car so we can cover more ground. Unfortunately, we all won't fit on your bike."

Sirius gave a big mischievous grin. "Can I drive?"

"Why not?" Remus said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like the roads will be filled with hundreds of other commuters. "Just promise me you will take it slow until you get the hang of it? None of us have ever driven a car before."

Sirius grinned from ear to ear then gave Remus a passionate kissing before rolling back over and snuggling behind Harry. With a groan, Remus closed his eyes. He didn't miss how Sirius didn't make a promise to go slow. He had a feeling that he was going to be in for one hell of a day tomorrow.

***HP

Daryl wrapped his arms tightly around Carol's waist as he held her to the ground as she screamed and cried. He wished that he too could scream... scream and curse god for the unfairness of it all. He had prayed and had faith that they were going to find little Sophia alive. He had never been a religious person before, but he had put what little faith that he had in finding her alive and well.

Sophia had painfully reminded him of his Harry. Like Harry, she had been abused and tended to be shy and quiet, but when given a little attention, her eyes would light up and sparkle with excitement. At first he tried to distance himself from Carol and her daughter, but he had come to admire Carol's growing strength and stubbornness and Sophia's shyness and sweetness.

He had desperately needed something to go right for once, something to give him the strength to keep going and not just say fuck it all. Sophia was so good and sweet, she didn't deserve what happened to her.

Daryl gripped Carol even tighter when Rick slowly walked past them, a look of horror and pain on his face. He understood what the man must be feeling, he had been blaming himself all along for leaving Sophia alone. Rick also had a son Sophia's age, he was probably picturing Carl in Sophia's place.

Daryl closed his eyes and dropped his head on Carol's shoulder, he didn't want to watch Rick shoot the little girl, now zombie. He had never asked Merle if Harry had died from the bite to the neck of if he had put Harry out of his misery. As much as he didn't want to think of his sweet Harry buried in a quickly dug, unmarked grave, it was better than thinking of him as a walker. Harry was everything that was good and light...he could never be a zombie.

***HP

"Harry, let me see your chest," Sirius ordered sternly. He could tell that Harry was in a great deal of pain, but he was being a stubborn little Gryffindor.

Harry gave Sirius a reassuring smile. "Siri, I'm fine. I just got a little winded."

Sirius raised one eyebrow and glared at his pup. "Tonight is the full moon and I don't want to risk hurting you when I tackle you to lift up your shirt. Please, let me have a look." This would be his fifth transformation and he was really looking forward to it. Unlike Remus, he had instantly accepted and embraced his wolf. Yes, the transformations hurt like hell, but it was bearable. He loved his wolf and running free with his mate. He could run as Padfoot, but Moony always had to be careful not to hurt the smaller and weaker dog.

"Are you going walker hunting tonight?" Harry asked, hoping to distract his godfather. Not that he saw Sirius and Remus as godfathers anymore. As far as he was concerned, they were his dads. He knew for a fact that he would have never lasted this long without them. The two men loved him unconditionally, and he felt the same about them. He felt bad that just a few months ago he had doubted their love.

Sirius sighed. "Of course, I have a bet with Remus that Slayer can take down more walkers than Moony. Now, lift up your damn shirt before I stun you."

Harry stuck his bottom lip out in a fake pout. "You know, a simple Petrificus Totalus would suffice, you don't have to go all stun crazy on me. And really, are you honestly going to stick with the name Slayer for your wolf?"

Sirius smirked. "It's an awesome name and it totally fits. Slaying walkers is what he does...hence Slayer. Shirt now!" he growled.

Sighing, Harry reluctantly lifted his shirt and turned his head so he couldn't see the expression on his godfather's face.

"Fuck me!" Sirius cried. "Remus, get your hairy ass out here!" he screamed.

"I didn't need to know that," Harry mumbled numbly. "I could have also done without that image that just popped up in my head."

Remus came flying out of the house that he had been clearing. Harry needed a safe place to stay tonight while they transformed, but it was getting harder to find homes that didn't have walkers or rotting bodies in them. They had even ran into a few survivors along the way, unfortunately not the friendly kind. Fear and desperation brought out the worst in people.

"What's the matter?" Remus panted, holding his wand tightly in his hand and looking for the danger.

"This!" Sirius cried, grabbing Harry by the shoulders and spinning him around.

Remus gasped, dropping his wand in shock. From Harry's collar bones to his belly button was black and blue, and the skin above his heart was turning a reddish black. Gently grabbing Harry, he pulled him into a hug while looking over his shoulder at his silently crying mate. It seemed everyday Harry was getting weaker, but this was by far the worst his chest had been. They desperately had to find Daryl.

Feeling Harry go limp in his arms, he looked down to see that he had passed out. It wasn't the first time that it had happened, but it still scared the shit out of him. Scooping him up, he signaled for Sirius to follow him.

"I don't want to leave him tonight," Sirius said, waving his wand over the couch and cleaning it.

"Neither do I, but we don't have a choice," Remus sighed, gently laying Harry down and brushing his long hair out of his face.

"I can't believe we haven't found his soul mate yet. Harry is getting worse, I don't think he has much more time."

Remus looked at his mate with pain filled eyes. "I give him only a few more months."

Sirius collapsed in the chair behind him feeling like his heart was being ripped out. His wolf was howling in despair, trying to claw it's way out. He couldn't lose Harry...he couldn't lose his son.

***HP

Moaning, Harry rolled over trying to ignore the tapping sound that was gradually getting louder. He had been up most the night worried about Remus and Sirius running around in their wolf forms. He knew they were safe against the walkers, it was the trigger happy humans that worried him. Hell, even Daryl would probably put an arrow in them and eat them. Food was getting sparse, even for them. It wasn't until after getting them settled in bed early this morning that he was finally able to fall into a deep sleep.

Cursing and rolling out of bed, he decided to look for what was causing the banging. It couldn't be a walker, unless they developed a way to get through their wards. Just the thought of that sent chills down his spine. Thanks to their magic, they had it relatively easy compared to the nonmagical people. They did have plenty of close calls, especially him since he wasn't a werewolf, but at the end of the night they were able to erect wards and get a somewhat peaceful night's sleep.

Following the tapping to the window, he froze at what he saw. Briskly rubbing his eyes and blinking away the last traces of sleep, he stared again at the window in shock and disbelief. "Hedwig!" he cried breathlessly. Hedwig cocked her head to the side and gave him a look that clearly said, 'well, let me the hell in.'

It took a minute or two for him to get the old rusted window open, but the second he did, Hedwig soared through the window and landed on his shoulder. With her beak, she affectionately started nibbling on his ear, neck and cheek while softly trilling at him.

"Oh Merlin, my beautiful Hedwig, I missed you so much," Harry cried, tears in his eyes. "I can't believe you flew all the way here." Sitting down, he gently placed the snowy white owl on his lap so he could inspect her. Hedwig preened under the attention, enjoying her master's fingers running through her delicate feathers. "You shouldn't have come, beautiful, it's too dangerous." Harry chuckled when Hedwid gave him a sharp nip on the knuckle. "I know, you're too smart to get caught. I just worry."

Only after making sure his Hedwig was in good health and getting her settled with some food and water, did Harry pick up the letter and small package that he had removed from her leg. A thill of excitement raced through him at the thought of hearing from home. It felt like years since he last saw everybody. He felt bad that he hadn't even given those he considered family much thought lately, but they had been busy trying to find Daryl and exhausting themselves everyday to the point of passing out at night.

"What did you find, pup?" Remus asked, shuffling into the kitchen. "Merlin I wish we weren't out of pain potions," he mumbled, collapsing in a chair and resting his head on the table. He had always spent the day after the full moon sore, but ever since taking up Zombie hunting, he was doubly sore the following morning. Moony loved it though, he was finally allowed free rein to hunt and kill.

Grinning, Harry pointed to where Hedwig was sleeping with her head tucked under her wing. "Hedwig!" Remus gasped, staring at the owl in awe.

"She's the smartest bird in the world," Harry said proudly, giggling when said bird hooted sleepily.

"That she is," Remus chuckled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Open the letter and package," he said excitedly. He was hoping that there was some chocolate in the package. Chocolate always helped ease the aches and pains after the full moon and he had ran out two months ago. They had actually just recently ran out of food and were living off can goods that they had found while raiding the abandoned homes.

Excited, yet at the same time nervous, Harry tore open the letter. He couldn't wait to see who it was from and get news from home, but he was also scared that the news wasn't going to be all good. What if something happened to someone he cared about? With a deep breath, he opened the letter and read it out loud.

Dear Harry,

You better have a damn good reason for not returning? Did Remus and Sirius find you? They left months ago to find you and bring you back home. Everyone here has been worried sick over you guys. Fred and George have been threatening to find Mr. Weasley's car in the Forbidden Forest and fly all the way to America to get you and bring you back home. I was scared to send Hedwig out, but she started harassing me about a month ago, so I figured that she was planning on finding you and wanted me to send a letter and supplies.

Despite everything that's going on, school started up as usual on September 1st. It's really weird being here without you, Ron has been moping about being stuck with only me. All our friends returned safely, even the muggle borns. Dean said that professor Dumbledore showed up at his house right as everything started and offered him and his family sanctuary in the wizarding world. He said that all of the professors were going around and gathering up those students who lived in the muggle world and were bringing them back. They have been building homes in Hogsmeade to accommodate all the extra people and have been setting up wards in other villages so the dead can't get in. I feel horrible about the rest of the muggles, but Dumbledore said that all we can do is save the one that we can, and say a prayer for the ones that we can't.

The Ministry and the Order have been secretly helping the muggles. Everyday they send out people to hunt the zombies and offer food, water and shelter to survivors. They have been setting up safe zones that they warded for survivors to go to where they can farm their own food and stay until this mess is resolved. They made it so muggles think that there are large walls around the perimeter. Narcissa Malfoy has even started an orphanage for muggle children where she actually works with the help of Molly. Never thought the day would come where Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley would work happily side by side.

I hope you are safe and with Remus and Sirius. If you can, please write back to me. I have had many sleepless nights worrying about you. When I informed everyone that I was writing to you, everyone pitched in to send you supplies...even Professor Snape. I love you Harry and will be anxiously awaiting your owl.

Love

Hermione

With tears in his eyes, Harry smiled at Remus. "Everyone is alive!"

"Who's alive?" Sirius asked, making his way into the kitchen.

Jumping up, Harry gave his godfather a hug then handed him the letter. "Please let there be some food," he giggled, turning around and handing the box to Remus so he could enlarge it. They had been living off of cold soup for a while now and it felt like his stomach was starting to eat itself. Harry gasped and stumbled back when the box enlarged to be as tall as the table and almost as long.

"I love magic," Harry grinned.

"Who would have thought that Cissa would have stepped up?" Sirius chuckled, placing the letter on the table and peering over his godson's shoulder to see what goodies they got.

"Hermione," Harry moaned, pulling out the complete set of his sixth year school books. "When the hell am I going to have time to study? Besides, I don't even have a wand."

"That girl would be studying on her death bed," Remus said affectionately.

Shaking his head, Harry continued to pull everything out of the box. Pulling out three smaller boxes, Harry opened them and gave a whoop of joy. The three boxes were stuffed full of shrunken and preserved food, deserts, pumpkin juice and Butterbeer.

"There's got to be enough there to last us six months," Sirius exclaimed, grabbing a meat pie, enlarging it and casting a heating charm over it. "Oh, it smells like Molly's cooking."

Peeking inside another separate box, Harry grinned then handed it to Remus. "I think you and Sirius can use this today."

Tapping his wand and enlarging the box, Remus was thrilled to see dozens of potion vials. "Pain relievers, stomach soothers, dreamless sleep, fever reducers, bruise salves, skele gro...I can't believe Severus sent all this." Remus handed both Sirius and Harry a pain reliever before taking one for himself.

Harry wanted to hand the pain reliever back, not wanting Remus and Sirius to see how bad he hurt, but he couldn't pass up the chance for relief. Maybe with some food in their bellies and relief from their constant pain, they could cover more ground faster and find Daryl.

"Who would send socks?" Sirius asked incredulously, holding up a large box of at least three dozen different colored socks.

Harry was laughing so hard that he had tears rolling down his cheeks. "D-Dumbledore."

"Should have guessed," Sirius groaned, tossing a pair of bright pink socks in Harry's face.

Remus picked up a bright red Phoenix feather that was under the bag of socks. "That's not all he sent he sent us," he whispered.

With a trembling hand, Sirius took the feather from his mate. "Is this a..."

"Portkey," Remus finished. Harry came into a powerful magical boost on his sixteenth birthday, but the bond was keeping him too weak to attempt making a portkey. The added drain on his magic would most likely kill him.

"It's only for three though," Sirius said, slightly deflating. International portkeys were made to transport only a certain number of people since it took so much magic to create them. They would need one for four people once they found his pup's mate.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "That's good though. After we find Daryl and get my strength back, I will only need to make a portkey for one. That will be a lot easier and less of a drain on my magic."

"You still need your wand," Remus reminded. Harry had been practicing using their wands, but none of his spells were powerful enough with them. There was no way that he could make a portkey with their wand.

"Maybe someone can get my wand from the Dursley's or Dumbledore can send another portkey." Harry suggested.

"When Hedwig is well rested, you can send her back with a letter," Remus said. He prayed that this miracle box would lift all their spirits and give them the strength to keep going. Everyday was a struggle for Harry, and watching him suffer was killing them.

***HP

Carol watched as Daryl drove through the prison gates with his bow on his back and a deer carcass draped across the bike behind him. She really liked the strong, silent man. He didn't look like he would be a kind and generous man, but he truly was. He had warmed up a lot to them over the past months, especially after little Ass Kicker arrived. He adored that little girl and was normally first to volunteer feeding her when Beth needed a break. It was sad that Rick was losing and not able to properly look after the baby, he was a good man and both his kids needed him. Hopefully he would snap out of it soon, they all needed him to be their leader.

Carol smiled and shook her head when Daryl stopped the bike right next to her and got off. She wished that he would make a move on her or something. She didn't know how to flirt or make herself pretty. Her late husband abused her and only let her wear plain clothes and no make up. She really liked Daryl though and she wanted to be with him. There were a few times where she felt that he wanted to kiss her, but then he would get a painful look on his face and stormed off.

"Looks like we will be eating good tonight," Carol said, giving Daryl a warm smile.

"It will be good to have a full belly for a change," Daryl said, purposely bumping Carol's shoulder as he walked by. He really liked Carol and could have seen himself with her, but not after Harry. No matter how hard her tried, he couldn't get over his green eyed boy. His heart still ached painfully for his little brat. They had only had a short time together, why couldn't he just move the fuck on?

Carol watched sadly as Daryl got that sad look on his face and stormed off. She didn't know what she could to do to help him or get his attention, and it wasn't like she could run out to Walmart and buy a pretty dress and makeup. All she could do was be there for him, offer him her friendship, and hope he eventually came around. Daryl had a code, and the world needed more men like him.

Looking around for help with the deer, she couldn't help but wonder what was taking Glenn and Maggie so long on their formula run. They had left hours ago and it wasn't like them to stay away so long. The prison was the safest place that they had found so far and she was praying that this would be their home.

***HP

Sirius rolled Harry onto his side as his body convulsed. "This is the worst one yet, Remus," he said, heart feeling like it was shattering into a million pieces. It had been two months since the arrival of Hedwig and Harry had gotten progressively worse. They knew that it wouldn't be long now before they lost him. Most days they carried him from location to location because he was too weak to stand on his own.

"Maybe we should have stayed at Woodbury," Remus said sadly, wiping the drool from Harry's chin and face. The seizures had started a month ago and they left Harry completely drained.

Sirius grimaced. "No, there was seriously something not right with that place and the Governor. Besides, Daryl wasn't there." They had only spent a few hours at Woodbury, but he didn't like the vibe he got from the place.

"What are we going to do now? Harry won't come back around for a few more hours and it's going to be dark soon."

Sirius relaxed some when Harry's twitching and whimpering stopped. He looked so small and frail laying there in the grass. "I heard that big black man Tyreese and his sister talking about an abandoned prison up the road that some survivors had taken over, maybe they will offer us sanctuary for the night. It doesn't look like there are any houses between here and there."

Even though Remus heard that the people in the prison weren't the friendliest lot, they didn't have any other options. They needed to get Harry in for the night and safe. After one of his seizures, Harry was normally out cold for a good five to six hours.

"Alright, but we observe them first before approaching," Remus said, easily scooping up Harry and following Sirius. Harry had already been too thin before the issue with the bond, but now he was down to skin and bones. It had taken a while to get the complete story of Harry's past, but when they did, he had to physically restrain Sirius from hunting Harry's relatives down. He hoped to Merlin that they ended up zombie chow.

***HP

"Where are you going?" Merle yelled.

"Back where I belong," Daryl snapped, never turning around to look at his brother. He was happy that Merle was still alive, but his attitude had only gotten worse after working for the Governor and doing his dirty work. He had left Rick and the group to be with Merle, but now he realized that that was a big mistake. He belonged with the group, they needed him and they were like family to him now.

Daryl was surprised that Merle followed him back to the prison, after all, he tried to kill Michonne and beat the shit out of Glenn. Hopefully their fight made Merle see the light and he would apologize to the group. He knew it wouldn't be as easy as all that, but he would like for Merle to be part of their group. He had lost Harry, Merle was all he had.

*** HP

"We're not taking anyone in," Rick said, eyeing up the three people on the other side of the prison fence. He found it very strange that the walkers weren't bothering them. Hell, they were moving away from them.

"Please, we're not looking to stay, just a safe place to pass the night. There are no house close to here," Sirius pleaded.

Rick pointed to the boy that the brown haired man was holding. "The boy, has he been bit?"

"No," Remus quickly answered. "He has epilepsy and he had a seizure a few miles back." It wasn't exactly a lie, Harry did just have a seizure.

Rick clenched his jaw tightly. He hated turning people away, especially a sick kid, but trusting strangers had gotten some of their group killed...including his wife. His priority had to be to his children and his group.

"I'm sorry. If you get moving now, there's a small town about eight miles away." Rick pointed in the direction that they needed to go.

"Rick, he's just a boy," Hershel said, disapproval evident in his voice.

"Yeah, but they're not," Rick snapped, pointing to the two strangers.

"Rick, that child is just a few years older then your Carl, and only a few years younger than my Beth. They are only asking for night." Hershel argued. He couldn't in good conscience turn away a sick child.

Turning his back to the strangers, Rick took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I just can't," he said, turning back around.

"What if we lock them up away from everyone else, where we held Tyreese and his group? I will take full responsibility for them. Let me check the boy over, I am a doctor." Hershel pleaded.

"You're a vet..."

"Who saved your son after he got shot and have been patching the rest of you up since. I remember when it was you begging for a safe place for your family," Hershel reminded.

Rick dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hershel, this is different. I have to keep everyone safe."

"Are we having a little get together here and no one invited Merle?" Merle grinned, cockily striding up to the group. He was getting ready to take Michonne to the Governor when he spotted something going on.

"Merle, this is none of your business," Rick snapped angrily. "You're only here because of your brother. If you put on foot out of line..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it sheriff." Merle grinned. "So, is there anything old Merle can help you out with?" He was hoping to get them moved before anyone noticed Michonne tied up in the car. He may not like these people, but his brother did. If handing over that woman to the Governor stopped him from attacking, then he had no qualms about doing it. God knows Rick didn't have the balls to go through with it. He was too much of a good guy to hand Michonne over to someone who would slowly and painfully torture her before killing her.

Sirius watched the two men interact, it was obvious that they despised each other. He got the feeling that the Rick fellow was actually a good guy, but circumstances had hardened him and caused him to do things that he never would have done before the zombie apocalypse. He was a man with a family and there was nothing he wouldn't do to protect them.

"Please, just for the night and we will be gone first light." Sirius tried pleading again.

Merle walked up to the fence so he could get a good look at the strangers. "Well ain't that the bitch?" he chuckled when he spotted his brother's little fuck boy unconscious in the older man's arms. He didn't think the boy would have survived a day after he knocked him out and hid him.

Shaking his head, Merle turned back to Rick. "Turning away a sick boy when all they are asking for is a safe place to stay the night. I'm proud of you, boss, you're turning out like me more and more each day. You're a far cry from that boy scout I met over a year ago." He may have not wanted his brother to be gay, but he could see how much Daryl was missing that boy. He also had a feeling he wasn't going to survive meeting up with the Governor, and Daryl was going to need someone to look after him and love him. Knowing that there was no way Rick would turn them away now, he walked back towards the car whistling.

"Dammit," Rick cursed, unlocking the gate. He didn't want to be compared to Merle, he had been a cop and damn good one at that. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and sadly it didn't always bring out the best in people. He just wanted to keep his family safe. "If you want entrance, you will have to hand your bags and any weapons you have over to Hershel. We won't steal anything, it just strictly a safety precaution."

With a loud sigh of relief, Remus and Sirius did as asked. They each had their wands under a disillusionment charm so they didn't have to worry about them finding them, and being unprotected incase they decided to attack.

"As this is a prison, you will be locked in a cell together for the night, but we will provide beds, blankets and food. Hershel here will even check your boy, he's a doctor."

Sirius tensed at the thought of being locked in a cell, it was too much like Azkaban. "Thank you," Remus said, giving his mate a reassuring nudge. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know what was going through his mate's head. "As long as we're together, we'll be fine," he whispered so only Sirius with his sensitive wolf hearing could hear.

Merle stood by the car watching as the boy got carried into the prison. He wasn't going to tell Daryl, if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. If the Governor didn't kill him, then his brother surely would when the boy told him the truth. He knew his brother was good despite his upbringing, and he had a soft heart, but even he wouldn't forgive him for what he did. With one last look back at the prison, he got in the car with a tied and gagged Michonne and drove off.

***HP

Carol quickly made the bed for the newcomers, well actually for the boy. He wasn't looking so good and she had to keep checking to see if she could see his chest moving. The last thing they needed was a walker on the lose in the prison.

"How old is the child?" Hershel asked, thinking his first assumption was wrong. When the man had been holding him he thought the boy was fourteen or fifteen, but now that he was laid out on the bed, he looked a few years younger.

"Sixteen," Sirius answered, hovering over his godson.

Hershel's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't say anything. The boy didn't look remotely close to sixteen. Unfortunately, he did look like he was going to be taking his last breath soon. His breathing was incredibly shallow and he was clammy and cold to the touch. "Are you his father?" he asked the dark haired man.

"As good as," Sirius whispered, blinking away his tears. He had a feeling that his pup wouldn't be leaving the prison alive.

"He's the son of our best friends and he's also our godson," Remus added softly.

Nodding to the men that obviously cared very deeply for the boy, Hershel started evaluating him to see if he could help...which he already knew that he couldn't.

***HP

Rick dropped the strangers bags then went to go check on his children. It had been a long day and he had a tough decision to make. The Governor had promised to leave them in peace if he handed over Machonne. He didn't really know Michonne, but he knew that he would be sending her to her death, and he didn't think he could live like that. He was an excellent judge of character and he could see in the Governors eyes that he wouldn't honor his word. Still, he would explain everything to the group and let them decide.

"Hey, have you seen Merle?" Daryl asked, quickly walking up to Rick. He was trying to keep a close eye on Merle so he didn't cause any trouble.

Nodding his head, Rick bent down and picked up the bags. "Yeah, the bastard tricked me into letting two guys and a sick kid in for the night. Hershel and Carol are with them now checking over the boy."

"That doesn't sound like Merle," Daryl snorted. "Hey, are Carol and Hershel safe alone with them?"

Hoisting the bags up higher, Rick smirked. "Carol has become a better shot than me, I'm not worried about them. Besides, I took their weapons and bags."

Daryl looked at the bags, his eyes locking in on one particular bag. It felt as though someone had just dumped ice down his back. For two days he had teased his brat about that weird symbol on the front of his bag. Harry had said it was his school crest, but he had never seen anything that odd as a school crest before. There were four animals on the crest and they weren't your normal school mascots...except maybe the lion. The other three mascots were a snake, a badger and a raven. He had questioned Harry, but he had just laughed and said it was a weird British thing.

Quick as lightning, Daryl reached out and snatched Harry's bag from Rick. Opening it up, he pulled out a shirt that had once belonged to him and was one of his favorites. The last he had seen of it Harry had been sleeping in it after a long round of sex. Harry had said that he liked how it felt and it made him feel closer to him. Despite it being his favorite shirt, he let his boy wear it because it looked hot as hell on him.

"Daryl, is everything all right?" Rick asked in concern for his friend. Daryl had went deathly pale and the hand holding the shirt was shaking.

Daryl shook his head trying to wrap his brain around everything. Someone stumbling across Harry's bag and taking it was possible, but not having the shirt that he was killed in. He knew for a fact that it was his, it even had the hole in the lower left corner from when he had dropped his cigarette on it.

"Where did you put the people who had this?" Daryl growled dangerously.

"Daryl, what's going on?" Rick questioned.

Dropping the bag, Daryl grabbed Rick by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Where all they dammit?" He roared. A couple different explanations popped up in his head and he was feeling a mix of fear, anger, sadness, excitement and desperation. Had his sweet brat become a walker, digging himself out of the grave? He had died before they knew to destroy the brain of those that even died of natural causes. Had some animal dug up his boy and a passerby stripped him of his clothes? The one the terrified him the most but also angered him and left him desperately praying it was true...had Merle lied to him about Harry's death?

Momentarily shocked at Daryl's anger, Rick opened his mouth to answer when a blood curdling scream stopped him.

***HP

Hershel stood up and looked at the two anxious men. "Rick was correct when he said that I was an animal doctor, but I'm also well educated in human medicine. Your boy, I'm sad to say, isn't going to make it much longer and there is nothing I can do to help. His breathing is shallow, his temperature is way below normal, his pulse is weak and there just doesn't seem to be any fight left in him. Seizures aren't normally fatal unless there is an underlining condition causing them, such as a tumor in the brain. With how malnourished he is, despite having food as you say, his progressive weakness, the bruising easily, evident by the massive bruise on his chest...I would say that he is succumbing to cancer. I'm sorry, I only give him a few more hours at the most!"

Carol turned her head, unable to look at the pain in the mens eyes. You never get over losing a child. The pain never leaves you or gets better, you just learn to live with it. She didn't know this boy or these men, but she still felt for them. The only thing that helped her sleep better at night was knowing that Sophia was in a better place and not having to live through the horrors anymore that they were.

Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius, supporting him as his legs gave out. They knew Harry was dying, they had known it for a long time, but it still didn't lessen the pain. They had prayed for a miracle, and if Daryl would have been a wizard, then they would have gotten one.

"Shit," Hershel cursed as the boy started seizing again. He hated this, why couldn't the boy just slip away peacefully and make it easier on his loved ones?

Remus and Sirius rushed to Harry's side, begging and pleading with him to hold on. They could feel his magic lashing out in a desperate last attempt to find their mate. They hoped that the two muggles couldn't feel it, but right now they only cared about Harry.

"Please, pup, please hold on," Sirius pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Moony and I can't lose you, we need you."

Harry's back arched painfully off the bed and he let out a blood curdling scream, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. Sirius reached out for him, but someone grabbed him from behind and easily tossed him across the room and into the bars. Remus spun around to fight off the attacker, but before he could move, he too found himself slumped on the ground next to his mate with a painful knot forming on his head from where it made contact with the bars.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Daryl screamed, grabbing his boy's upper half and hugging it to his chest. As soon as he heard the screams, he knew that it was his Harry. "I'll kill you for this!"

"Daryl!" Rick yelled, "what is the meaning of this?" He had never seen Daryl act this way. Obviously he knew the boy, he had never seen him react over someone in such a way.

"He's mine," Daryl muttered, burying his face in Harry's neck. "He's mine." He couldn't believe that he was sitting here holding his brat...that Harry had been alive all this time. He let out a cry of anguish when it dawned on him that Harry had been alone and scared all this time. He had promised him that he would look after and protect him.

Sirius angrily jumped to his feet ready to attack the man that attacked them and was pawing all over his godson. He had only made it two steps before familiar strong arms wrapped around his waist stopping him.

"Sirius, stop!" Remus hissed in his mate's ear. "Didn't you hear? That's our pup's Daryl."

"What?" Sirius snarled. "He's as old as..."

"He's Harry's soul mate. Who gives a shit how old he is? Our pup will make it now," Remus grunted, holding onto Sirius tighter. He had hoped that Daryl was only in his twenties, but he looked to be as old as them.

Sirius sagged against Remus, resting his head on his shoulder. He was right, as long as Harry made it, who cared how old Daryl was? He could see that the man loved his pup, and in the end, that was all that really mattered. It still wasn't going to stop him from threatening him to hell and back if he ever hurt his godson.

Daryl gently tilted Harry's head back so he could get a good look at his face. What he saw damn near killed him. Harry's face was never round and filled out thanks to his relatives starving him, but now he looked damn near skeletal. He was so pale that he was almost transparent, with prominent blue veins visible and large dark circles under his eyes. It was the sight of the blood running from his nose and mouth that finally brought on the tears.

"What's wrong with him?" Daryl asked, calmer and more in control of himself. Harry was back in his arms where he belonged and he was never going to let him go again...well, except for when he killed his brother. Merle didn't want them together so he had left Harry alone in the woods and faked his death. He knew that there was no way in hell that Harry would ever willingly leave him, so that meant that Merle had to have done something to him. Merle had to have hurt his precious boy.

"I believe that he's dying from cancer," Hershel answered sadly, looking just as confused as Rick and Carol. How can this boy be Daryl's? Was he his father?

"No," Daryl said, adamantly shaking his head. There was no way that Harry had cancer and was leaving him again...he wouldn't allow it. "No!" he screamed a little bit louder.

"Daryl, I'm sorry, but he's dying," Hershel said softly. "He only has a few hours left."

"Shut up!" Daryl screamed, voice echoing throughout the prison. No one had yet noticed that the commotion had attracted the rest of the group. Beth was clinging to Judith, Maggie had her arms around Carl and Glenn had his around Maggie.

Ricky carefully approached Daryl and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Daryl, is he related to you?" he asked softly.

Shrugging off the unwanted hand, Daryl snorted. "No, he isn't, but he's mine. Merle told me that walkers killed him before we met up with everyone."

The only ones who noticed a difference in Harry was Sirius and Remus. He had stopped bleeding from the nose and mouth and he was no longer convulsing. If you looked closely, you could see that he was breathing easier and normal and his cheeks were pinking up. They could also feel his magic wrapping around Daryl, desperately clinging to him.

Remus stepped forward clearing his throat. "We have been looking for you. Can we talk privately?"

"Who the hell are you? If you hurt one hair on his head, I will tear you apart piece by piece then chain your undead asses up and use you for target practice whenever I get bored."

"We're Harry's godfathers," Sirius said, finally gaining his voice. "We came looking for him when everything went down. We found him a few days after he got separated from you."

"Sirius and Remus right?" Daryl grunted. "You came all the way from England for him?" Harry had talked a lot about these two men, he was relieved that Harry wasn't alone the entire time.

"We would do anything for him," Remus answered. "Can we please talk to you alone?"

"No," Rick said, stepping slightly between Daryl and the stranger. Something strange was going on here, he knew that he would end up regretting letting them in. "If Merle didn't want the boy near you, then why did he guilt me into letting them in?"

"Maybe Merle had a change of heart?" Carol suggested.

"My brother doesn't have a heart," Daryl snarled, scooping Harry up into his arms. "Follow me," he said, looking to Harry's godfathers.

Rick ran his hands through his hair in agitation. What the hell was going on? Who was the boy and what the hell did he mean to Daryl? "Daryl, I don't want them wandering the prison," he yelled, already knowing that Daryl wasn't going to listen to him.

Daryl stormed past the group, ignoring their questioning looks. It wasn't their fucking business who Harry was and what he meant to him. He was taking Harry back to his cell and his bed where he could look after him in private. For some reason he felt like it was the right thing to do and he wasn't going to question it. He didn't even want his boy's godfathers there, but he needed answers.

Remus waited until Sirius entered the small cell behind Daryl and Harry then subtly flicked his wand, casting a silencing charm. He knew that there would he ease droppers, and right now it wasn't their business. They needed to explain everything to Daryl...everything.

Daryl stood awkwardly by his bed, not sure what to do. He needed to lay Harry down, but he was reluctant to let him go. Everything in him was screaming to not let go. Finally he sat down with his back against the wall and held Harry against him. "What is wrong with him? He didn't say anything about cancer when we met." Daryl never lifted his eyes from Harry's face, he couldn't believe that Harry was truly alive. He was afraid that it was a dream and his boy would disappear.

"First," Remus started. "Harry doesn't have cancer, but up until fifteen minutes ago, he was dying."

Daryl hugged Harry even tighter to his chest. He didn't even want to think about losing Harry again. There was no way after this that he could continue on without him. If Harry died right now in his arms, he would be joining him in death shortly after.

"Obviously with everything going on, you have gotten use to things being strange. Dead people walking around eating people isn't exactly normal," Sirius chuckled.

Daryl grunted, hoping that the two would just get the hell on with it. He wanted to know everything so he could kick them the hell and be alone with Harry. He also had to plan Merle's death...and it wasn't going to be fast.

"Do you believe in magic?" Sirius blurted.

Daryl finally tore his eyes off Harry's angelic face and looked up at the man he knew was Sirius. "Magic, do you mean like voodoo witch doctors? My mother believed in that shit, but she was a fucking crazy drunk."

"I'm not well versed in American magic, but your mother was right, magic is real." Remus said.

"Right," Daryl chuckled. "Get the fuck out!" he snapped.

Smirking, Sirius pulled out his wand, and with a quick flick, he enlarged the prison bed so Harry and Daryl would be more comfortable.

"What the fuck?" Daryl yelled, jumping off the bed with Harry still in his arms. How the hell did his piece of shit bed get two times bigger.

"Daryl, Harry is a wizard like Sirius and myself," Remus explained, pulling out his wand and conjuring two chairs so Sirius and himself could sit. He was physically and emotionally exhausted. Not thirty minutes ago he thought his pup was taking his last breath.

Daryl stared at the bed for a long time before reluctantly taking a seat back on it. He had never believed in magic, but then again, he had also never believed in zombies. It was kind of hard denying that magic was real when the proof was in his cell. "Are you human?"

Sirius snorted, but Remus smacked him on the arm. Technically only Harry was human now. A werewolf wasn't consider a full human after all. "We are human, the only difference between you and I, is that I have magic. I was born with it, like Harry. There are witches and wizards all over the world, but we keep ourselves hidden. The nonmagical community haven't always been kind to us, the Salem witch trials are a perfectly good example of what I'm talking about."

"Why can't you stop what the hell is going on?" Daryl growled angrily. If they had all that magic, why the hell were they sitting back and ignoring what was going on?

Remus shook his head. "What is going on is even happening to us. We are trying to find a solution, but so far nothing has worked. I don't know about here in America, but the European witches and wizards are doing everything in their power to save nonmagical people without exposing their magic. They have set up safe zones where they put up wards, something like an invisible forcefield, that keeps the zombies from getting in. They also send people out daily to kill the zombies and look for survivors. It is dangerous for us though because the zombies are attracted to us when we use our magic and swarm us very quickly."

Daryl looked back down at Harry. "Is he suffering from some magical sickness or something?" he asked, brushing his lips across his boy's.

Remus smiled, he was so glad that Harry would get to experience the love of a soul mate, there nothing else that could compare to it. "In a way, yes. See, it's very rare in our world, but some of us have souls mates." Remus smirked when Daryl's head shot up so fast that it snapped. "If we are separated for a long time from our soul mates before the bond has completed and settled, the bond will turn on that person, punishing them for losing their mate."

"Are you saying that I'm Harry's soul mate?" Daryl asked in disbelief. He should be horrified at the thought of being someone's soul mate, but he wasn't. To be honest, it made sense. What he felt for Harry went way beyond anything he had ever felt or heard of before.

"That's exactly what we're saying," Sirius said. "Since you left, he has been slowly dying because your bond wasn't complete after you...you...you..."

"Had sex," Remus finished, rolling his eyes at his flustered mate. "It typically takes a few months for the bond to completely settle, and in that time, you shouldn't be apart from each other for more than a few hours. Lift up his shirt."

"Fuck me!" Daryl gasped after doing as ordered. Gently he ran his fingers over the massive bruise covering the entirety of Harry's chest and most of his belly. He had never seen a bruise as nasty as that before.

Carefully shifting Harry, Daryl pulled down his T-shirt, just enough to show the gulf ball size bruise that he had above his heart. "This started a few days after separating from him and the ache and emptiness in my heart never went away."

"If you had been magical, the bond would have punished you as severely as it did Harry. Possibly even more so since you are the dominant in the mating." Remus explained. "If we wouldn't have found you when we did, Harry wouldn't have survived the night."

Daryl caressed his boy's cheek. "He has been looking for me all this time despite being in pain and suffering?"

Sirius sadly nodded his head. "It has been bad, but the last month was the worst with the seizures. We have been carrying him for weeks now because he could barely walk or keep his eyes open."

Daryl didn't wipe away the few tears that escaped his eyes. "My brother did this," he snarled viciously.

Both Sirius and Remus clenched their fists in anger. If they would have known that the guy they saw down by the gate was Merle, they would have ripped his throat out, audience or not. "He led Harry in the woods, and when he refused to leave you, he punched him until he passed out. He did hide Harry's unconscious body so the walkers wouldn't find him and left him with a bag if supplies, but we still plan to kill him." Sirius snarled.

Daryl glared at the man. "He's my brother and Harry is my mate, I'm the one that gets to fucking kill him." He would too, he couldn't believe that he beat up and knocked out his mate. He knew how hard Merle could hit having experienced it a few times himself. Harry was so small that he was lucky that Merle's punch didn't kill him.

"You're taking all this really well," Sirius chuckled.

"I have spent the last year running from dead people with an eating disorder, at this point, nothing will surprise me."

"Are you ok with being his dominant mate?" Remus asked seriously. "Harry is one of thee most powerful wizards alive, more so than both of us combined, but he would never use that power to hurt anyone, not even his despicable relatives. He has been abused since he was a baby, and all he wants is someone to love him...a family. He needs someone that will care for him, and protect him."

"Our pup has a way of getting into trouble," Sirius added, smiling fondly at his godson.

"Harry is mine," Daryl growled. "I will hurt anyone that even thinks about hurting him. Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

"His magical core is drained and needs to recharge. He was minutes from death, it's going to be a while before wakes." Remus explained.

"He's fine now, right?"

"As long as you don't leave him for more than a few hours for the next few months he will be," Sirius said warningly.

Daryl nodded his head. "I will never be separated from him again like this." Daryl looked up from admiring his mate. "Not to be rude, but can the two of you leave? I would like to alone with him." He had enough answers for now. He needed time to process everything and just be with Harry.

Remus and Sirius smiled knowingly, it had been the same with them. When they first mated, Dumbledore had to assign them their own room for a few months until the bond settled. "What do we do about your leader, he doesn't trust us? Remus asked.

Daryl moved like he was going to put Harry down, but then changed his mind. "If you get him, I'll talk to him."

Remus clenched Sirius' shoulder. "I'll get him." He knew that Sirius would want to spend a few more minutes with Harry. For the past year it had been the three of them together, even sleeping in the same bed. It was going to be weird not having Harry glued to them. Despite now having his mate, they were still going to stick close to Harry. Just because they found Daryl, didn't meant that they were out of danger. They wouldn't be safe until they were back home in the wizarding world. He had a feeling leaving wouldn't be all that easy. It seemed that Daryl was close to this group and they couldn't just portkey out leaving children behind...not when they could offer them a place to live, safe from the walkers.