Hey Dear Readers,
Sorry for this late update but I had my knee operation yesterday so I've been a bit queasy and out of it and my knee is ouchy, ouchy. Hopefully it fixes the problem though, fingers crossed.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and hello to all the new followers, thanks for joining the journey.
I hope you all enjoy the new update.
Keep well,
Have a lovely rest of the week,
Cheers,
Hakura-Shir
18/10/16
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Chapter 10
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Draco sat on his bed listening to Sam's tears. Her reaction to Skye's wounds had been—well—he guessed what he rather expected an emotional pregnant woman's reaction to be. Daryl had expected her to yell and hit him for getting her husband hurt, but she had sort of collapsed with weak knees making Harry go into his obsessive worried state all over again. Draco laughed into his sleeping bag, letting it muffle his mirth. Merlin. Harry was such a worrier.
His stomach ached, clenching tighter.
His friend's bright green eyes, so Slytherin it was frightening sometimes, haunted him in his little hideaway cell. They had not been filled with pity when he had spoken about Lucius, they had been filled with unbridled rage. So much wrath it had almost alarmed him. Rage for him—Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter, the Golden-Boy-Who-Lived was angry for him of all people.
Oh. The hilariousness of such a paradoxical situation.
He stroked a hand through his oily hair, gripping at his scalp in a desperate attempt to stop his hand from shaking.
"Draco…"
His head snapped up. Standing at the door was Beth. She carried a little magical light in the palm of her hand, it managed to make her look sweeter and more delicate than usual. His eyes widened, surprised not just by her sudden arrival at his cell door, but by the thought in his head. He scrubbed at his sleepy eyes.
"Hey, Beth, is it Ron?"
"No, no, Hermione is with him, and my Father. I thought I should check up on you. It sounded pretty awful, that thing with your Dad?"
Draco slid out of his sleeping bag, swinging his legs over the edge of the bunk. Beth stepped into his cell, careful around Skye and Sam's bundle of blankets and clothes.
"It's just the way it is."
"You going to be okay, though, right?"
He tried to smile. It was hard to deny that he felt immense hatred for what his father had done—killed his mother and then survived the dead rising—but even so, all the training he had gone through growing up, learning to put aside his emotions, had made it easier to function. Still, he was not quite sure what he would do if ever he was actually confronted with his father.
"I'm fine."
"That's what people say when they're not actually fine."
"I promise, Beth, I'm fine."
Her lips narrowed. "Okay."
Sliding off the bed, Draco approached her. "I should check on Ron. Skye and Sam might need some privacy tonight anyway."
Beth giggled. "How kind of you. You could bunk with me and my Dad?"
"Your Dad scares me." Draco winced. "I think I'd rather risk pissing off Daryl any day."
She laughed, just like what he imagined a pixie would sound like, sweet and cheerful. "The day Daryl isn't scary. It's happened. It's finally happened. My Dad is scarier than Daryl. The horror! I'm never going to find a boyfriend."
"Never," he assured. "Never, ever. Between all the over-protective men in this group, you have no hope."
Another laugh bubbled out of her. "Yeah, well, we'll see about that."
With a hand on the curve of her back he guided her out of the cell and down Block C. Rick had still not quite figured out what to do with the inmates they had found, but he was sure the man would eventually think of something inhumane. It was not as if they could very well just turn them loose, could they?
Passing by the cell were Lori and Carl were holed up Draco paused, causing Beth to pause a few steps ahead of him. Her pale eyes anxiously sought his as he turned from the vision of Carl wrapped up in a blanket, tightly bundled up against the wall furthest away from his mother lying in the bottom bunk.
His chest clenched. Where the hell was Rick right now? To hell with the Walkers. The man had a perfectly good son he was ignoring.
"Draco…"
"Yeah." Draco crinkled his nose distastefully, catching Beth's hand. If Rick was not going to watch out for his son, then someone else was going to have to do it for him.
In the cell that had become almost a medical wing, expanded through more of Hermione and Luna's rune work, Ron lay on a bunk. Still he had not woken.
Draco slipped in. The silence was uneasy in the dim light hanging from the ceiling. He was glad for their magic, glad they could make light for the prison, or their world would be so dark without Hermione's weird electricity of the mundanes. The young witch sat beside Ron's bed, hunched over a book.
Hershel sat at a nearby desk, hunched over a potions book of all things. He looked up at their entrance and shuffled to his feet, stirring Hermione.
Draco settled a hand on her shoulder. "Did you get something to eat?"
She nodded. "But what about Ron, he hasn't eaten…"
It was beginning to become a serious concern, Ron not waking.
"Give it a few more days Hermione. His magic could be fighting an infection. It's not as if this amputation was done in clean conditions, and remember, even with blood replenishing potions, he still lost a lot of blood." Draco tried to assure her, but his own voice felt terribly flat.
"I know." She nodded. "I know. I just…when…when do you give up one someone."
"Never." Hershel crouched down beside her. "He will wake up."
That was what made Hershel Greene scary. His conviction.
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Luna carefully padded her way up the stairs, wrapped tightly in Daryl's poncho. The night air was crisp around her bare feet, but it was refreshing after the long day working with her shoes on. The soft murmuring voices of Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Remus and Carol drew her up, through the darkness of the watch-tower, toward the soft ebbing light of a magically-lit lamp sending out wisps of colourful mist. She rested her hand on a doorknob and carefully opened the door.
The voices paused as she poked her head through the small gap. The scene outside on the balcony made her wish she had a wizarding camera, to capture the moment forever. The way the moonlight and magical lantern invoked the peace that surrounded the friends, bundled in blankets, resting on chairs and mattresses pulled out from prison beds.
Glenn and Maggie sat to one side, the lovers never seeming far from each other's side. Remus looked utterly lost in thought, his gaze distant to the woods beyond their new home, but Luna could tell that truthfully his mind was on the woman beside him, leaning on the balcony railing, chatting to Daryl as he sat, crafting new arrows for his crossbow. Harry was sleeping, curled up in a little ball, head on Daryl's knee.
"Come out, Luna," Daryl drawled. "Saved you a spot."
She scooted through the door and carefully stepped over Maggie and Glenn.
"How are you this evening, Luna?" Remus sipped on a beer idly. She smiled as she sat down beside sleeping Harry.
"I am well, thank you Professor. Draco and I just finished a working on lots of potions. Sam came and insisted Draco goes to bed, so I thought perhaps I should as well."
"I am glad someone is thinking of Draco's health," Remus grumbled.
"Well, why don't you?" Carol raised an eyebrow. "You are their teacher."
"Familiarity, unfortunately." Remus shrugged. "Draco wouldn't listen to me if I told him to go to bed, he'd laugh and tell me we are not in school anymore."
"I gather it has been rather difficult for you and Sirius then, with all the kids?" Glenn asked.
"It had its moments. The first few months were very hard on all of us, not really knowing what was going on. Draco's whole life was turned upside down and Sirius handled that very well with the boy, they're both purebloods from Dark Families, they get along on a different level of understanding than the rest of us. If Draco would listen to anyone, hilariously enough, he would listen to Sirius simply due to his magic having to obey Sirius'." Remus snorted into his beer can. "Ron, Fred and George, and Ginny…they lost their family, but they did have each other to lean on. Harry has always been a lone wolf, and truly, so has Hermione…" Remus' eyes turned to her and Luna smiled.
"And I've always been special."
"Always Luna, my dear, always."
"Nevertheless," Carol rested her hand on Remus' shoulder, "I am sure it was not easy on any of them, and neither on you or Sirius."
Remus lowered his head. "I am glad that you folk came along, the kids needed some other adults in their lives."
"I think you and Sirius needed some other adults in your lives too." Maggie laughed. "Sirius and Rick are still down there having a deep and meaningful conversation."
"Possibly." Remus' hummed, his gaze shifting over the balcony. Luna stood, poking her nose over the bars, looking down into the darkness of the courtyard, noticing the glow of another magical-lantern shifting back and forth. It lit the contours of both Sirius and Rick, walking back and forth around the perimeter of the fence line. She knitted her brow, catching just the thinnest sight of a silver thread between the two of them.
"Professor?"
"Hmmm, yes Luna?"
"I have a very bad feeling."
She heard Daryl shift suddenly and Harry squeaked as he came awake.
Remus' hand settled on her shoulder and she turned to look up into the man's grey eyes. They were comforting, and his hand was warm, she could always trust Professor Lupin to know what to say when she had her terrible feelings.
"Is this feeling a vision, Luna, or just a feeling?"
"I don't know, but it just got worse, looking and Rick and Sirius."
Remus' hummed in the back of his throat. "I wonder if it has anything to do with what they're currently talking about…"
"What do you mean?" Carol looked down at the two leaders.
"They're discussing reinforcing the fences, which is a very good idea but…first that requires a lot of work," Remus muttered.
"Work," Daryl shrugged. "That's all we do."
"More's the point." Carol raised an eyebrow. "You can hear them from down there?"
Luna giggled. "Professor Lupin can hear lots of things."
Remus rubbed a hand through his hair, smiling at her. "Don't worry too much Luna, I'll keep an eye on both Sirius and Rick."
She nodded, know that when Professor Lupin promised to do something, he always followed through on it. Carefully she turned back to Harry. He held out his hand to her, looking far too sleepy to really be invested in the conversation but likely he would remember it at some point and get awfully worried about it. She joined him on the mattress he lay on and she curled up against his chest, sharing the warmth of his blanket as Daryl cocooned them both in the pile once more. Harry sagged like a heavy sack, instantly asleep.
She heard Carol mutter, "Daryl, honestly, should you let them both sleep like that?"
"What? Hell, Carol, they're teenagers, give them some peace."
"It's inappropriate."
"Stop mothering them."
"Start fathering them."
"I am, watch. Luna, no sex with Harry until you're at least twenty."
Luna smirked into the blankets. "I don't think that will be a problem. He sleeps too much."
"See?" Daryl shorted back to Carol. "Not an issue. My fathering skills are brilliant."
Remus must have thrown his empty beer can at Daryl, for she heard him yelp something very inappropriate.
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Sirius peered through the darkness, down into the courtyard. Walkers lazed about, never resting, always groaning and grunting. He hated the sounds they made. It made his skin crawl, reminding him of the noises from fellow inmates in Azakban. His eyes drifted to the night sky and the scattering of stars, brilliant in their glow from the lack of light pollution. His chest swelled. That was one incredible thing about being alive now, the stars.
"Wish you were here, James…Lily…" he murmured.
He felt someone bump his shoulder gently. A beer can was shoved into his face. Rick stood beside him, staring up at the same sky, his gaze just as distant and thoughtful. Sirius accepted the beer gratefully, cracking it open and taking a sip.
"How's Skye doing?"
"Much better now that Draco's gotten some potions into him and Hershel's looked at his wounds. It was close, you know. If he hadn't been wearing that armour of his…" Rick shuttered. "You should see his armour, it's useless now."
"Thank Morgana he had it on."
"Said he's barely taken it off since the world went to shit."
"Shame Harry can't replicate it for all of us," Sirius grumbled. "Wish Professor McGonagoll was here, she could figure out how to transfigure the structure of anything mundanes made."
Rick sipped his own drink. "So, how we going to tackle tomorrow? Think us boys can take on the Walkers out there?"
"Should be able to I reckon. We've got to give T-Dog a proper burial. Hershel, Harry and Luna are all excited about starting a bloody garden." Sirius chuckled. "Should let them do that. It'll be good for the kids to have something else to do."
Rick hummed in agreement.
"Do you really think we can do it?" Sirius sighed, feeling gloom settle on his shoulders like a mantle. He just could not seem to shake it, the feeling that something dreadful was around the corner—perhaps it was made worse by Lucius Malfoy appearing out of nowhere. That was an ill omen if ever there was one. "Can we make this work, Rick, living here, I mean?"
Rick sat himself down on a crate. "We can only try, Sirius." He blinked at the faint lumos that Sirius cast, placing his wand between them.
Sirius glanced toward the lookout tower, smiling faintly at the voices drifting down from the warm glow on the balcony. He could see the shifting shadows cast by the light of a magical lantern. Lupin waved to him and he lifted his hand, letting his old friend know he was there.
"Seems like everyone is getting along well enough." Rick sunk back with a long sigh. "See, it's working out already."
Sirius huffed. "Right, right, and the three prisoners you found, they're part of your grand plan?"
"Good point, we'll have to figure that out."
"Tomorrow." They clinked their cans together, repeating the word.
Tomorrow would surely bring a lot of new worries. Sirius sipped his beer. Their world never seemed to cease being full of things to concern themselves over. He watched as a Walker ambled past them in the darkness, it's sluggish movements betraying nothing of the deadliness it could muster when in a frenzy.
"We're going to have to do something about the fences." Sirius set his empty beer can down. "They might be enough to keep back a small amount of Biters, but, they'd not be enough to hold back a horde…and Lady forbid…we end up on the bad end of some other group."
Rick crossed his arms over his chest. "You honestly think things could get that bad."
"You don't?" Sirius raised an eyebrow at the ex-cop. "Come off it Rick, I can tell you don't trust easily. The only reason you decided to trust us was because we had kids with us."
"And you're magical, and Daryl liked Luna." Rick slumped. "Fine. But that's a lot of wall to build."
Sirius snorted. "You just said it yourself Rick, we're magical. Sure, I'm not a genius in transfiguration, but Remus and I did at least finish our education and I was an Auror. Harry's also got a knack for transfiguration. Get the right materials and we should be able to build some walls…." Sirius trailed off.
"What is it?"
"Problem is…" Sirius frowned. "The bigger the walls, the more obvious the target we are."
"Better to have walls, my friend." Rick looked out across the courtyard. "Then none at all."
"True point, true point."
"Back at Hershel's Farm, they…didn't have any defence against a horde that came through. I was pretty stupid, not…being prepared for…what happened." Rick sighed. "But I supposed I was pretty distracted." His gaze lingered at the night sky, his thoughts distant.
Sirius narrowed his lips. He knew he was pressing the issue, but it had been bothering him ever since they had run into the rag-tag group. "Your wife…what…happened?"
"It might not be my baby."
"Ah," Sirius sniffed, "I see."
"My best friend. I killed him."
"Yeah." Sirius looked out across the courtyard. Peter's childhood face haunted him, rising into his mind like a misty ghost formed from the tail-end coat of a Dementor. Peter—Peter had not been a bad kid, in the beginning, be had just been misled and lonely, and they had been so stupid not see it. "I sorta know something about that too."
Rick nodded slowly. "I figured you might. Sometimes, you can just tell."
Silence sat between them, weighing the air. It was like a switch, the moment Sirius could tell Rick clicked back into his cop and leader role, no longer the friend-drinking beer. It was quite something to watch, the way the man's whole body tightened as though struck with thousands of pins.
"The wizard Harry confronted, what can you tell me about him?"
"Lucius Malfoy?" Sirius rolled his shoulders. Just looking at Rick when he was in this state made him ache all over. "Well, he's Draco's old-man. If we do ever confront him, that is going to be an issue."
"How so?"
"I know Draco seems like a nice lad, and he is, he really is, but he's like me. He's from a Dark Family…and we…we've got traditions. You don't betray your family. Draco sees his father as a traitor and his father sees him as a traitor. At some point their family magic is going to have to choose a new lord. Our best option would be to catch him alive and let Draco deal with him on his own terms."
"You don't sound very convinced about that."
Sirius glanced toward Rick, noticing his frown.
"No, I'm not. If there is one wizard out there is who worthy of the title warlock, it would be Lucius Malfoy. He will not be easy to bring down. It is likely that today he was already worn out and disorientated, otherwise…" Sirius breathed out. "He could have mowed down Harry and Fred without hesitation."
"But Harry seemed to hold his own pretty well."
"Like I said, it was likely Malfoy was already worn out. Don't get me wrong, Harry's a strong wizard, but matching up to Malfoy in a duel…" Sirius clicked his tongue, "Even I would shutter at that thought. I think Remus and I might have to start training with the kids again when we get the courtyard cleared."
"Sounds good." Rick nodded.
"I know Carl can't join in, but he's welcome to come along. He's a great kid. It'd be good for him to know what the others can do, how it could supplement his own skills. Team work is paramount for them to survive if anything happens to us."
Rick fingered his gun. "You've given this serious thought."
"Remus and I had to." Sirius shook his head, "The idea that one of us, or both of us, would die crossed our minds constantly. Kept us up at night. Still does. I'm glad we found you lot."
"Lori might not like it, but she doesn't really have much of a say anymore." Rick growled out. "Carl will enjoy being with the other kids."
"Speaking of Lori," another voice interjected suddenly, "she was very distraught today, Rick, about the baby. Carol and I had to assure her that the baby was alive."
"Remus?" Sirius stood, swinging around to face his friend emerging out of the dim light.
"Evening." Remus burrowed deeper into his coat. "How's the perimeter?"
"Everything looks good." Rick tipped his head in greeting. "How's everyone doing up there?" The cop completely ignored Remus' earlier comment.
Sirius resisted rolling his eyes. How long was it going to remain just simple conversations between Rick and Remus? It was like the two were tip-toeing around each other, wary of setting the other off.
"All is well." The smile his old friend managed was for him, as if Remus' was trying to assure him that he had not come to just be nosey—when he had, really, he had. "Carol is trying to berate Daryl about his new found fathering skills, I decided to leave before it got violent."
Rick chuckled. "Those two…well…I should go and check on Carl. Talk to you tomorrow, Sirius." The worn out ex-cop tipped his head in passing and if anything, as he passed from the light of the dim lumos spell, he looked ever more haggard as his shoulders stooped lower. Sirius self-consciously shrugged, curling deeper into his tatty coat. They all had their own burdens, each their own demons to ward off.
"Sirius, Luna's got a bad feeling…" Remus lingered by the fence. Sirius turned back toward his old friend, frowning at the sight of him. No matter how big the coats he wore were, it would never hide how frail his frame was, not how twisted his body had become from his transformations. He held himself so strong, with so much power thrumming under thin skin, but that strength was brought with incredible pain. Sirius squeezed the beer can in his hand, it crinkled.
"About what?"
"Just…be careful around Rick."
"Remus, he's a good man."
Remus' smiled faintly. "I know. I'm not saying he isn't. You're a good man too, Sirius. That's the problem." Remus' eyes glinted in the darkness, flickering the eerie yellow that still lingered soon after a full moon. "What do you think happens when two men of honor come together?"
"We get stronger."
Remus snorted. "By the Lady, you are so naive."
"It is one of my finer attributes." Sirius beamed.
"I have no idea how I put up with you for so long at school."
"My dashing good looks and boyish charm."
His friend barked a laugh, and it was delightful to hear, lighting up the night more than any lumos ever could. Sirius felt a warmth under his coat, as if the laughter itself was magic, breathing heat into his old, tired bones.
He grew sombre. "You're a man of honor to Remus."
Remus shook his head as he passed by, patting Sirius' shoulder gently. "Sirius, if you thought that, you wouldn't have suspected me of being a follower of Voldemort back then."
The jab was still painful. It gutted him, even now. He should never have doubted his best friend, never have fallen into the vile trap of the Lights, thinking that all werewolves were naturally evil. He would never forgive himself for such a terrible mistake.
"Remus…"
"I know. I don't hold it against you, I promise, but it's true. You're a Dark, Sirius, and that does mean you have honor. We grey's, we're still the fence sitters, you know." He shrugged limply. "And despite my werewolf, I'll always be a grey, I have to be, for my own sanity."
Sirius hugged him. Remus was so much smaller when his arms were around him. Perhaps it was because he had just gone through a transformation, but he felt far more brittle, as if a large gust of wind would blow him over at any moment. Sirius murmured, "Please tell me you're eating."
Remus chuckled into his shoulder. "Don't worry. Carol noticed how thin I am. I think she's now convinced herself I'm her new project. It's rather nice, to be worried over by a beautiful woman again. Last time it was Lily…"
Pulling away Sirius wiggled his eyebrow. "Remus…a woman, is it possible—"
He was boxed firmly over the head. That was the end of that conversation. He knew better than to jibe Remus Lupin about his love life. It had never ended well. Nope. It had usually always ended with him and James sprouting black eyes for days and rumours all over Hogwarts.
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"Build a wall?" Harry mused as he bit into the honey coated bun Carol had made that morning. It tasted finer than anything a house elf had ever cooked at Hogwarts, but perhaps that was just because his stomach was growling something fierce that morning from all the energy he had expended running around after Draco's father. Daryl had forbidden him from leaving his bed to help in cleaning out the outer courtyard, leaving him cooped up, annoyed and grumpy.
That was, until Sirius and Rick had ducked in and brought him a very late breakfast.
Thank Morgana they had, he was beginning to think he had been forgotten about, but hell was he going to disobey Daryl and piss the man off again so soon after the whole battling Lucius Malfoy.
Harry frowned, looking between Sirius and Rick. Was Lucius Malfoy's appearance the reason why the two leaders of their little group suddenly wanted to build walls? Hogwarts had walls, rather impressive ones, with immensely powerful wardstones to fuel the magic if Ron's brother, Bill, had not been exaggerating his stories.
Harry loosed one of his legs, rubbing at his foot that had fallen asleep from its awkward position on the floor. If Lucius-bloody-Malfoy had randomly appeared was it at all possible that Hogwarts had survived the past year and a half?
"Yeah, a wall. A really sturdy wall, keep out the Walkers, and you know…other…nasty folk. Think it's possible, Bambi?" Rick leant forward, his expression far to hopeful.
Harry pouted, mostly at the nickname having caught on, but he left his mind shift through supplies, and possible transfiguration spells and their combinations. His hand shifted to his pocket and his tugged out his small, worn notebook.
"I suppose anything is possible, sir. The issue we face is making the transfigurations last without the aid of a building wardstone. I worked out how to make transfigurations last on our food supplies by grounding the magic entirely to my own magical core, but I highly doubt I could do that to a whole building."
Sirius rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Wouldn't put it past you, kiddo."
"Be serious," Harry waved his notebook in the air, "Unless we can make a wardstone, this prison will never be a magical building."
"I know. I know." Sirius raised his hands in submission.
"None of us kids can make one, Sirius, and you can't with the condition of your magical core. A wardstone would naturally reject Remus' werewolf so he can't either. Perhaps the Twins could, but would you really risk the foundation of a building on them?"
"If I had too, yes." Sirius shrugged.
Harry sighed. He supposed in desperate times you called on desperate measures.
Rick leant forward. "What's a wardstone?"
Harry had to smile. Why he kept forgetting Rick was not magical he was not quite sure, but it just slipped his mind. Perhaps it was because the ex-cop blended so easily in with Sirius it was uncanny.
"It's like a grounding foundation for all the magic in a building that then acts as a conduit source. The bigger, or more magical the building, the more wardstones it requires to sustain the flow of magic through it and those dwelling within it."
Sirius set the cup he held down. "Legend has it that Hogwarts, our old school, was actually build into the side of a mountain, and the mountain itself was the wardstone that sustained the magic of the school which was why it was always called 'the safest place in Britain.'" He quoted with his fingers.
Harry chuckled. "Load of rot that was. Most dangerous place in all of Britain more likely."
Sirius sent him a sympatric glance.
Rick rubbed his bristled chin. "So we can't do this without a wardstone?"
Harry raked a hand through his hair. "Let me talk it over with the others first. If push comes to shove, there is always bloodwards. I mean, I gather Dark Magic rules don't matter anymore, so Draco and I can tap into our heritage of all the evil arts, right?"
Sirius snorted. "Whatever, kiddo. Just don't tell Remus."
Harry stood and saluted. "I'll let him know right away. Am I dismissed?"
Sirius ruffled his hair, sending him away. "Get going, brat."
Freedom, finally. Harry skipped past Sirius and Rick, out into the open area of C-Block. He waved to Carol and Lori, thanking them both for the meal. He was pretty sure that he if he hurried he could help Daryl clean out the courtyard of Walkers, or at least lend a hand getting of the bodies in the aftermath.
His mid-morning peace was shattered entirely as Hermione tore out of the cell that had become the makeshift infirmary. Beth followed her, calling her name, skidding to a halt when it became obvious she was simply not going to respond. Harry's eyes widened as Beth slowly turned toward him, her face ash white, sweat pooling around her collar bone.
"Beth?"
The girl hid her face in her hands. "Oh God."
A hand touched his shoulder, almost causing him to respond with a fierce backward movement to slam whoever it was against the nearby wall. He halted when the smell of potions assaulted his nose.
Draco. His body relaxed.
"It's Ron, isn't it…" Harry croaked out. "Is he…is he…dead?"
He forced himself to face Draco and his clear blue eyes. "No. He's not dead."
Harry clutched at his chest, relief flooding into his boiling lungs. He had not realized he had been holding his breath so tightly.
"But he may as well be."
"What? He's a Walker?!" He jostled up in shock, looking between Beth and Draco.
Draco's hand settled the curve of his back. "You need to see it for yourself, come on. Remus' is running some diagnostic charms."
A tremble beset him as he allowed Draco to lead him through the cell door, into the larger room that had become their infirmary. It was already beginning to smell like the Hogwarts infirmary, just mixed with mundane medicine, which was not surprising, considering Hershel was with them. It still evoked the nasty memories within him, and he fought to keep them back, wishing he was anywhere else right now—back in the cell he shared with Luna and Daryl, surrounded by the smell of pine needles and flowers.
Remus' was crouched by the bed Ron had been lying on, his wand glowing brightly in the middle of a spell. Hershel sat on the bed, propping up the thin, still sickly but very much alive Ron. Harry blinked and removed his glasses, cleaning them on his shirt, replacing them, and staring.
"He's not a Walker?"
"No," Draco shook his head. "He's alive. He woke up."
"What's wrong?"
"He doesn't remember who we are, he doesn't even remember who he is."
Harry gulped. Oh—Hermione, poor Hermione.
"Remus' thinks it's possible that to stop the infection his magical core went far beyond its limits."
Harry sagged. "I did this…"
"No," Draco gripped his shoulders. "No, Harry, you must not think that. You saved his life."
"Harry, Draco…" Remus' voice disturbed them before Harry could protest. They both shifted up, facing their old teacher. Remus' smiled weakly, waving them forward. Harry squared his shoulders, breathing in deeply and approached. Ron was not who he remembered, the few days he had lain on a bed, unable to eat, had drastically changed him and that was frightening, just to think that even a few days so ill could so easily alter someone who had been a constant in his life. The loss of his limb made very little impression in his mind, or perhaps he was forcing it not to, since he had been the one to remove it. He just hated how frail the usually strong, independent Ron appeared.
"As far as I can tell, his magical core protected his brain from the infection, and due to the overly long exposure to his own magic, he's lost…well…himself. It is highly likely he'll still recall how to speak, how to eat, and all the small things, as they stay with us, the larger things are simply gone."
"It is possible he may remember fractions of his childhood. We won't know until Fred and George come. He seems to respond to name Ron."
Harry rubbed is eyes under his glasses. "So by cutting off his arm, I didn't save him after all?"
Remus gently hugged him. "It is my belief that you did, and what transpired afterwards was secondary. We are unprepared here to care for injuries, and we need to be prepared, if this virus destroys our immune system and can kill us with a mere scratch then we are going to have to be far better prepared for medical emergencies."
"Especially if Lori and Sam are having babies," Draco mused aloud.
Remus' nodded. "Indeed. This is has simply pointed out how very vulnerable we are. Now, Harry…Ron is still your friend, that hasn't changed."
Remus' was not saying the words to weigh upon him, Harry knew that, but the immensity of the situation sagged upon his shoulders like a backpack full of bricks. "I know," Harry whispered.
"It is going to be strange for a while," Remus continued.
Harry looked down at his feet. "Yeah. Hermione might not…she might not recover from this one."
"That's okay." Remus' smiled. "We'll be here for both of them."
As much as Harry wanted to burrow deeper into Remus' coat, hiding away in the comforting arms of his old professor he pulled away and glanced toward Draco, who gave a firm nod. Together they approached Ron, sitting so still and quite on the bed, it was eerie.
"Hey…Ron…"
Ron looked up, blinking slowly, as though trying to focus on them both. Harry waved, smiling warmly.
"I'm Harry, and this is Draco."
"Hi."
"We're your friends." He firmly elbowed Draco in the stomach when the blond opened his mouth, sounding as though he was about to protest. "We've always been your friends. Always. Isn't that right. Draco."
"Oh, ah, yes. Best friends," Draco amended.
The smile that crept its way across Ron's sickly, pale face, brightening up the freckles, was worth the lie. Harry seated himself beside Ron. "Don't worry, mate, things are going to be fine." His words tasted like fine ash in his mouth—false and utterly disgusting.
Nothing was ever going to be fine again.
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As silent as Daryl could be Harry was never surprised when the man came back in from night-time watch with a loud thud and an exhausted sigh to slide down the back wall of their cell and collapse in a heap. Usually the man smelt of the sweat and dirt that stuck to him during the day, coating not just his skin, but his clothing as well. Tonight though that scent was masked by soap and Harry wrinkled his nose, rolling over in his bed to face the hunter hanging out his damp shirt and pants.
"Nice arse."
"Thanks Bambi."
"Luna's got a perfect view you know."
"Luna's asleep. She keeps normal hours. Unlike you."
"I learn from the best."
Daryl snorted and pulled on a spare pair of pants. The few one's he did own. Harry crawled up in his bed, sitting up against the wall. "How did the Walker extermination go?"
Flopping down on the mattress across the floor Daryl stretched. Harry took that brief moment to eye the man, taking note that he at least was not wounded from the little Walker extermination adventure. "Good. Cleared the courtyard. We can bury our dead now."
Harry nodded. "I heard the prisoners helped."
"I heard Ron woke up."
A huff escaped Harry's lips. He guessed Daryl was not in a talking mood tonight, maybe something had happened with the prisoners he was not happy about. Whatever it was, he was sure to learn about it in the morning from someone. Shuffling about in his pile of blankets and ratty sleeping bag Harry buried himself deep into the mattress. "He's lost his memories, it's like…he's another person."
"He'll be in there somewhere. Big day tomorrow, Bambi, go to sleep." Daryl rolled over. "Or I won't take you on the run."
Harry grouched at the threat. Daryl would go through with it, just out of spite. "You're the worst parent ever."
"I'm flattered."
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Harry felt his world tip. Sam—Sam was cradling her arm in a makeshift sling as she happily trotted around the so-called kitchen area Carol and Lori were always mulling about within. Despite how cheerful she looked, he could not help the sudden expanding anger that gripped him.
What the fucking hell? Who—when—where—
"Easy, Harry…" Daryl murmured, brushing against him, the steady feeling of the hunter's hand on the back of his neck settling the sudden rush of gooseflesh prickling over his arms. His breathing evened with a soft shutter.
"What happened?" he bit out.
"Just one of the prisoners, he wanted to play a bit rough."
"Rough?" Harry spat. "At least tell me he's dead!"
Daryl rubbed his eyes. Harry worriedly watched him turn, his shoulders slightly hutched. He looked far too tired, despite the few hours of sleep he had managed.
"Daryl! What happened?"
"I missed him."
"You missed…" Harry spluttered as Daryl grabbed his crossbow from the back of their cell.
"I was a little busy, Bambi, trying not to get overwhelmed with Walkers, with a pregnant woman in my arms. Yes. I missed. He got away."
Sagging against the cell door Harry stared down at his trembling hands. "But…but what do we do? What if he comes back—"
"The little fuck ran into a bucket-load of Walkers; I highly doubt he survived."
"Yes, but…"
"Harry," Daryl handed him his bottomless bag, "it's happened, it's done. Move on. Focus on today."
"Where's Skye?"
"He is doing some training with Ron."
"Training?"
"Hmmm, yes," Sam nodded, handing him the lunch pack, "Your friend might have lost his memories, but his fine and gross motor skills are still all there. Skye is trying to tune them with Fred, to see if it triggers anything off. It's something Skye can do while he's recovering." Sam smirked. "Trust me, he's griping something awful about not going on that run with Daryl. So, hop along, take this lunch for Hermione too."
"She's coming?" Harry grinned.
Sam clapped him on the shoulder. "She needs the distraction and her magic seems to have recovered enough. Go and get us some good stuff, Bambi. Remember, I want cute little boy clothes for my son."
"You have no idea if your kid is a boy!" Daryl's shout sounded from the far off door.
Sam bellowed back. "Remus told me."
"Fuck the wolf."
"Take a ticket and line up, Carol is defiantly going to give it a go."
Harry quickly left as Carol threw a ladle toward Sam in protest. He had no desire to get caught up in whatever fight the two women would end up in, especially if it involved launching kitchen utensils at each other.
Harry crinkled his face as daylight blinded him. He bumped into Daryl's back, stumbling slightly. The smell of burning bodies assaulted his nose and he forced back a gag. Smoke was rising from the outer courtyard where he noticed the two surviving prisoners and Rick were watching the pile of burning Walkers. How long would it be before their world was empty of the stench of the dead?
Puffing out sharply Harry jogged after Daryl as the man headed toward the land-rover. Glenn slammed the bonnet down, wiping greasy hands on his jeans.
"We're good to go."
Daryl heaved open the land-rover's door and Harry promptly clambered in. Sitting in the back Hermione clutched her duffle bag tightly to her chest. Harry slid in beside her, resting a hand gently against her knee. Her eyes flickered to his face in the briefest glance. By the heavy shadows bagging the skin of her cheeks, he doubted she had slept at all the night prior. Was taking her own a run really a good idea when she almost looked like a Walker herself?
"How you holding up?"
Her lips compressed and suddenly her head dropped to his shoulder. "I'm just so tired of it all, Harry."
"I know." His arm instinctively encased her. "So am I."
She didn't deserve this. Neither did Ron. His chest ached with the desire to just wipe it all away, to bring back the life they had once had, the happiness they had all shared in Hogwarts—he would even face Voldemort for his friends if it meant seeing their smiles again.
Daryl rocked the four-by-four as he joined them, and while his brief glance eyed Hermione's exhausted condition and her place tucked against his shoulder, he made no comment. The hunter hardly needed to speak, everything he said he always said with his eyes and the small twitches of his lips. Harry jerked suddenly as Sirius slapped the side of the land-rover and leant through the window.
"You kids stay safe, okay, listen to Daryl."
"Like we'd listen to Glenn." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Hey!" Glenn laughed. "If Daryl gets killed, I'm leader after him."
"You're kidding, right?" Hermione waved a hand, "Maggie totally trumps you."
Maggie grinned, throwing Hermione a wave from the front seat. "Why thank you Hermione. Come on, honey, drive...let's not waste this gorgeous sunshine."
Glenn groaned. "Everyone is out to get me today."
Rick greeted them at the gate to the prison, Carl bouncing beside him. Harry leant out the window, slapping Carl's outstretched hand in greeting.
"Stay out of trouble while we're gone."
"Don't get bit." Carl shouted as he heaved on the heavy gate, rolling it open. Harry peered back over the seat, watching father and son fade through the trees. He felt a little relieved upon noticing Rick's hand settling gently on Carl's head. Perhaps not everything was going to be a total disaster if they kept sticking together.