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Chapter 14
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Luna dragged Lori through the prison corridors, the grip she had on the woman's wrist was fierce, but Lori was beyond hysterical and a calming draught was not an option in her condition. Ahead of them Carl and Beth checked doors for any possible hideaway, and behind them Hermione directed a stumbling Ron, while old Hershel took up the rear. Somewhere further beyond them, she could hear the sound of gunfire. Sam, Carol and Maggie had remained behind with Remus to defend their home, ordering her and Hermione to take Lori and run. She felt so stupid. She should never have left them to fight alone. Sam was still nursing her sprained shoulder. She should have come with them. In the whole flurry of the moment, realizing they were under attack, everything had just come crushing down.
Draco.
Where was Draco.
Luna shook her head, clearing the panicked thoughts. This was not helping the situation. Draco was quite capable of looking after himself. Carol, Maggie and Sam were all fine. They had their Muggle guns.
Suddenly the earth magic screamed at her. Luna staggered, causing Lori to halt in confusion as Luna hit the ground, scraping her knees.
She ignored the pain, gripping her skull as white light blinded her. Everything was ablaze, even Hershel's hands on her shoulders burned. There was a shifting in reality around her, if she could just reach out and grasp the folding white sheets she could see what had so suddenly altered the course of their path. It was almost there, so close, her fingers brushed the loose strands rushing past her.
She was flung back into the sound of cracking gunfire. Hermione was standing over her, wand work deflecting the Muggle weapons to the nearby wall. Ron was valiantly attempting to shoot off stunners with his left hand.
Luna cursed under her breath. Her legs were like iron. Always the same after such an intense seer episode. She needed to move. Sweat pooled around her collar bone as she buried her fingernails into the skin of her thighs, forcing pain to make them move. "Please…please…" she croaked out.
"Ron! No!" Hermione shouted.
Luna's head snapped up. She saw Ron's wand fly out of his hand, likely responding to a rebound of a badly waved spell—not unusual, considering he was using his non-dominant hand—but it was his movement to go after it that caused Hermione's shout.
Luna reached up, trying to grab for his leg. But just like she had been unable to grab for the filaments of reality, she fell short for Ron as he stepped outside of Hermione's shield. A rain of bullets knocked him flat. Luna covered her mouth before a scream could erupt from her lungs as her world slowed, the sight of Ron falling, blood riddled his chest. She froze. Her hands were covered it in, smearing her face. Luna scrambled away.
"Luna!" Hermione's voice was all that stalled her. The panic in her friend's eyes as the masked men bore down upon them. She gripped her wand with her bloodied fingers and looked back.
Hershel was crouched beside Lori and Beth protectively.
Carl's fierce eyes glinted in the darkness as he loaded his gun and stepped toward them. She wished her arm would stop trembling.
It was just them against the world.
Or so she thought. The door in the corridor, the only door—that could have so easily lead to another storage block—blew off its hinges as Draco slammed through.
The force of his spell sent it off its hinges and smashing into the opposing wall. Concreate shattered, pluming into the air. Luna curled into a ball as the young pureblood released a barrage of spellwork at the men. The colours of the spells ignited the small corridor. She saw it, the frightening green of the killing curse released from Draco's wand. He did not even hesitate, it came so easily from him and so suddenly—so suddenly—she was grateful he stood there over them, like a silver angel who could weld the blade she dared not yet touch.
Hermione's grief had turned to rage.
Her shield faded and the remaining men fell as their legs were shattered by boxing hexes. Hermione stormed through them, Draco at her side, disarming their weapons. She stood over them, her skin crackling with magic.
"Who are you?" She pointed her wand at the nearest man.
Luna watched as Draco knelt. "Answer the lady." His voice was so cold. It was like magic itself was coating her skin with ice when he spoke. The poor muggle lying at their feet had no hope, gaping at the two volatile teens, his mouth opened, and he choked.
"He can't speak." Luna scrambled up suddenly. "Draco! He can't!" She cried. "Kill him, kill him now!"
Draco reacted, an instant killing curse leaving his lips. Luna skidded to a halt, collapsing onto her knees and covering her face as relief drained out of her.
Hermione stormed up to her, "Luna, he was going to tell us—"
Draco grabbed Hermione from behind. "No, Hermione, look." He pushed her back to the dead man, pulling apart the collar of his shirt, revealing a faintly glowing rune etched into his skin. Hermione paled. She looked back to Luna.
"A binding oath. How did you know?"
Luna tapped her temple.
Hermione nodded in silent understanding. Draco's attention shifted down the corridor, he picked up the discarded weapons, throwing one to Hermione and another to Luna. "We need to keep moving. They've released Walker's into the prison. Hershel, can you walk?"
Hershel took an offered weapon. "I am not going to be a problem."
Their eyes settled on Lori and Carl, curled up against a nearby wall.
"Carl?" Draco held out a gun. "We need to move. We have to find some place safe for your mother."
"I think I know somewhere." Hermione checked her weapon. "Ron…" she paused, her gaze briefly shifting further down the corridor, where Ron lay. "Ron and I found it awhile back…it should be good."
"Right, let's go then." Draco waved his hand.
Luna quickly headed for Lori, gently pulling her upright. "Just a bit further, Lori."
She knew that Hermione was crying. She could hear her as she lead them through the dark corridors. It felt like an eternity, the walk, when truly, it was not at all that long—but the sensation of it dragging was awful, they had to pause at each turn, listen for the Walkers, wait, kill, move again. Whoever it was that had invaded them had come prepared and infested their home with the undead.
They were deep into the prison, what Luna could only presume was the basement, and she had to idly wonder why Ron and Hermione had come down here—possibly her thoughts should not have wondered there.
"Draco…that you…" A voice stirred out of the darkness.
Harry.
That sounded like Harry. Luna's heart raced.
Draco shined his wand into the murk and Harry's face was revealed, behind him Daryl stood like a guardian.
"Thank goodness." Harry breathed out. "We've been searching for an hour. The breach in the wall was huge…and there are so many Walkers! They had a stereo system blasting out music." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Anyway…"
Harry's gaze settled on her, and suddenly, she was in his arms. When had skinny Harry, little Harry, become strong Harry, Harry who could lift her without trembling and looking as though he was going to fall over?
Why had she never noticed him changing.
"Luna?" He gripped her cheeks. "Luna, love, Luna? Luna are you hurt? Luna!"
She weakly shook her head.
He hugged her. Her chest tightened. Harry was covered in blood. It was not his blood. She looked up, to Daryl, as he fitted a new arrow to his crossbow. She loathed the look in his eyes. It was filled with so much pain.
Harry pulled away. "Where is Sam?"
Sam—
Why would—
Luna bit her lips. Her fingers fisted into her bloodied dress. The pain in Daryl's eyes made sense now. She sucked in a deep breath, promising herself she would not cry—not yet—not here. Hermione was already crying enough for everyone. She would cry later, much—much—much later.
"She's back at C-Block, with Remus and the girls."
"You stay here," Daryl motioned to Harry, "you do not open this door to anyone but me, or Sirius, do yeh hear?"
Harry bobbed his head. "Yes sir."
Daryl vanished, as if he had never been there with them, and it felt like a piece of her safety wall crumbled away. Harry turned to Draco and Hermione.
"We couldn't deal with all the Walkers, there is just far too many of them for Daryl and I. We need to seal up and reinforce this area and keep quite. Its going to take weeks to clear these levels."
"Did you at least seal the breech in the wall?" Draco asked.
Harry nodded. "I assure you. I sealed it."
A cry pierced the air. Harry tensed, turning back and forth. Draco touched the open door, ushering them all inside. "It's just Lori."
"Just Lori?" Harry headed down the stairs, two at a time. Luna quickly followed, feeling Draco come up behind her. She had felt the spell work he had used on the door into the boiler room. Such dark warding spells, likely only ones Draco himself knew from his own Family Magics. Perhaps she should ask him some time to teach her—would he though—where they all family now, sharing Family Magics?
Hermione had set up faintly glowing lights throughout the boiler room, enough that it was no longer pitch black. Lori lay on a quilt, with Beth propping her upright. Carl was to a corner, pacing back and forth.
Harry approached Hershel, who was washing his hands in a hot bowl of water.
"Harry, good to see you." Hershel nodded.
"Lori…"
"She's in labour, yes."
Harry covered his face, rubbing away the dried blood. "This is bad…"
"We will have to make do here." Hershel turned. "Surely you children can make it a little bit more comfortable."
Luna frowned. "Why not just use my tower?" She held up the keys around her neck. "It would be much more hyenic, yes?"
Every eye turned her way. She blinked at the odd expressions and shuffled uneasily on her feet.
Suddenly Hermione launched onto her feet. "Luna! By the Lady!" She cried out. "We…we could have used your key-universe to hide in! Ron…Ron…Ron is dead! Luna! He is dead!" Hermione spun and slammed a fist into wall.
"Hermione!" Harry flung up his hands. "Mother of Arthur. Don't hurt yourself, you idiot."
Luna frowned. "That did not cross my mind, I apologize."
Draco's hand settled on her shoulder, a firm squeeze that she was sure was supposed to be reassuring and kind, settled on her ruffled nerves as she watched Harry try to calm Hermione. It was so rare to see Hermione in such a state. Perhaps she should have remembered the magical keys around her neck. She bit her lips. Poor Ron. Was it her fault he was dead?
"Luna…" Harry's voice centred her buzzing mind, and she realized that thing had shifted around her. Everyone had entered into the safety of her potions tower, leaving her with Harry, on the outside, staring at the entrance of the boiler room Daryl had left through. The moaning of Walkers could be heard outside and her skin crawled.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered.
Harry's wand moved in quick flicks, reinforcing the door with a ward, though she wondered if it would hold. He took her hand, and the warmth of his touch flooded through the cool chill of her nightmarish thoughts. "We're going to be fine." He assured. "We're going to be fine."
Minutes passed, or perhaps it was longer, she could not tell, she was lost in Harry's arms. She just wanted to be safe, and Harry was safe. He was safe like her home had once been safe. Beaten, crooked, with tiles falling out, and floors that could be tripped over—Harry was just as broken as her house had been, but he was as contradictory in his safeness.
She pulled away only when the door into her key-universe opened and Carl stumbled out, trembling and pale. He slid down the nearest wall, rocking back and forth.
Luna pealed out of Harry's safe arms, drifting over to the boy. She knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He released a sob, curling into the curve of her neck. She narrowed her lips, briefly glancing to Harry.
It seemed things would not be as fine as he hoped.
Harry massaged his aching shoulders. How long had it been now? A couple of hours. He summoned a quick tempus. His eyebrows lifted. That did explain why he was so exhausted. Five hours since they had been stuck in the boiler room. His eyes drifted back to the door Draco had warded. He had heard noises outside, every so often, and Draco's masterful wards being activated. Blood had seeped through the crack under the metal door and down a few steps. His stomach twisted, a small part of him hoping that it was just Walkers that had encountered the House of Malfoy's wards. It was a shame Draco couldn't ward a whole house, or the whole damned prison. Harry closed his eyes, willing the anger out of him.
He had to accept they were still children. Given time Draco would learn. Given time even he would learn. They had just been thrust into this situation so young.
Turning away Harry headed back down the stairs. Luna sat off to one side, folding pieces of discarded paper into small cranes. She was making a toy, she had told him, for the baby.
Harry's attention drifted to the doorway into the potions tower. He had dared not enter. A part of him wanted too—he wanted to know what was happening beyond the threshold, but another part of him dreaded it. It filled him with immense fear. As if him staring at the door had called forth it opening, it did open and Draco slid out.
Harry startled, shaking himself out of his thoughts.
Draco waved him over. "Harry, I ah, need a word."
Such an ominous sentence. Harry swallowed, drying to wet his throat.
"It's not going well." Draco bowed his head.
"Yeah, I gathered that." Harry murmured.
"It's a good thing Luna opened her potions tower or this would have been even worse, we might even have lost the baby as well, but, we're going to lose Lori, Harry. I can't do anything, and Hershel can't either. She's bleeding internally somewhere, and there is only so much magical healing I know."
Draco's hands trembled around his wand. Harry reached out, gripping his friends fist tightly. Draco breathed out, drawing a deeper breath that he released slowly, as if drawing strength to raise his chin. Clear grey eyes faced him. "She wants you to do it."
"What?" Harry stepped back.
"The killing curse. She wants you to do it. I offered, being the…well…I donno, head healer around here I suppose, but she likes you Harry. Morgana. Everyone likes you."
"I can't kill someone I like." Harry choked out. "It doesn't work like that."
"Sure it does. The curse just works on the feeling of hatred and rage, same way the patronus works on happy memories. I sure you have a lot of hatred and rage."
Harry squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to think of Uncle Vernon, of Dumbledore and the bitter sweetness of Voldemort's touch against his mind. He knew hatred and rage so well, sometimes it frightened him—but to use it against Lori.
"Harry." It was Draco's turn to grip his hand. "Please. She is suffering, and she will turn and suffer all the more."
"The babe?"
"It's fine. You can see her if you like. Beth and Hermione are giving her a wash."
Harry nodded slowly. "Okay, but, shouldn't Rick—"
"She's not going to last that long."
"But, Draco—"
"I'm serious Harry. We either do this now, or she's going to turn and we're going to have a worse situation on our hands. This way, she can say goodbye to Carl and be remembered…fondly."
Harry breathed in deeply. "Right." He nodded. "I understand. Let's do this."
He looked back to Luna, sitting on a ledge, folding her paper cranes. "Luna…I'll ah…I'll be back soon."
She looked up, her eyes shining with tears. His heart broke. This was all wrong.
Following Draco into the potions tower Harry shouldered the immense weight that fell on him the moment his feet touched the stonework of the floor. There was a heavy atmosphere surrounding him, and it weighted more than rocks in a backpack. Lori sat perched up by the herbal garden, a weak smile on her hollow, pale face as she spoke softly to a crying Carl.
Sensing Hershel's presence Harry glanced up at the elderly man.
"How is she?"
"Surprisingly, this is the happiest I have seen her in months." Hershel sighed.
"And the babe?"
"Healthy, from what I can tell."
Harry nodded.
"We don't have much time, Harry."
"I understand." Harry shifted uneasily, drawing his wand. He quietly headed toward Lori and Carl, loathing interrupting them. Carl's eyes widened upon spotting him and Harry smiled weakly.
"Hey Carl."
"H…Harr…Harry…can't…can't your magic save her?"
Crouching down Harry took up Lori's limp hand. "Magic is amazing, Carl, it really is. It can do so many things, but it can't save everyone. It couldn't save my parents either. I'm sorry Carl, I'm sorry Lori."
"Don't be sorry." Lori weakly shook her head. "I am so grateful we found your people. I know Carl and Rick, and the baby, they'll be safer now. Harry. Please." Her hand squeezed his tightly.
Harry bowed his head. The emotions were always there, buried deep inside, just waiting to be brought to the surface. Draco had taught him how to harness it, the same way Professor Lupin had taught him how to release a Patrous. Not everyone could cast the killing curse, just as not everyone could cast a Patrous. At least he could do both. Raising his wand Harry looked to Lori, her eyes had turned to Carl, her hands folded around his. Carl had curled up against her chest.
Harry muttered the curse. Her body fell limp and he caught her before she fell. Carl pulled away covering his face. For a moment, Harry was sure the boy was going to start sobbing, but he sucked in a tight breath and wiped his wet cheeks with the sleeves of his shirt.
"She's not hurting anymore?"
"No." Harry shook his head.
"Good." Carl nodded. "Good."
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Hot chocolate.
Who would have thought it was something that could be made in a potions tower, but he supposed coco and milk was something used in several potions, so it was not surprising they had it on hand.
Draco was a genius—for a Slytherin. The pureblood handed out the mugs to them all one by one. Harry accepted his with a smile.
"There isn't a cow just…walking around in here, is there?" Hershel inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Luna paused from sipping the hot beverage. She looked to Draco and frowned.
"I…actually…don't know…there might be. I have not explored and catalogued everything in this tower."
Draco nodded. "Towers like this are very rare in the magical world. We're lucky the Lovegood family had one, we're lucky Luna had her Family heirloom on her when she came with us. My Family Heirloom is not as exciting…" he chuckled. "The milk churner simply refills with milk. So I do not know if there is a cow around."
"Can we use the milk to feed the baby?" Carl motioned to Hermione cradling the little bundle smothered in blankets.
Harry shook his head, settling his mug down on a nearby table. "It's not recommended for newborns and babies under a year old."
"What are we going to do?" Carl looked up.
"Don't worry. We'll figure something out." Harry offered.
"Here Carl, do you want to hold her." Hermione stepped forward, offering the baby. Carl's face paled.
"I…I don't know…I have never…"
Harry nudged him. "You'll do great. Here, it's easy." He took the baby from Hermione and carefully settled her in Carl's arms, manoeuvring them into position. Carl rocked gently, in the uncomfortable manner only a boy his age could.
"Make sure you prop up the head, her neck can't support her head yet, so you have to be very careful."
Carl smiled weakly. "She's…she's so…" A tear streaked down Carl's cheek.
Harry hugged him. "Yeah. I know."
Two more hours they waited. It was agonizing. Harry was sure he paced a hole in the floor of the boiler room. Draco must of made half a dozen potions, and still complained it would never be enough. Then it came, the knuckles hitting the iron door in a heavy thudding noise. Harry froze on the spot, looking toward Luna and her pile of paper cranes.
He rushed up the stairs, placing his ear against the metal.
"Sirius!"
"Hey Bambi. Tell Draco to take down the wards, will you, they recognize me as the Head of House of Black, but I don't want to test it. Oh, don't worry, he's done it."
Harry looked around. Draco was making his way up the stairs. The bags under his eyes making him look older. He had anchored the wards to his own magical core, without a wardstone to act as an anchor. Harry's gut twisted with irritation at their lack of knowledge. Being unable to tap into the ambient magic of the earth was making things so much more difficult. Draco had suffered because their magical training had been incomplete.
The door opened and Sirius pocked his head in. "Hey, good, you're both alive. Nice warding work Draco, very impressive." Sirius praised.
Draco bowed his head.
Harry peered around. Daryl was not with him. Glenn however was, with Maggie in the background, standing guard.
Sirius ushered them both down stairs. He nodded in approval at the sight of Luna's tower door. "Good, okay, get back inside. Luna give me the keys to your tower. I'll carry you all back to C-Block, it'll be much safer."
"No," Harry turned. "I want to come with you."
"Harry."
"No." Harry refused. Draco rolled his eyes, ignoring the coming argument as he ushered Luna into the tower. Luna threw the keys in Sirius' direction. Harry caught them before Sirius could.
"I'm carrying them."
Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose. "Harry…"
"I've been cooped up in here for hours, Sirius. Don't make me go back in there. Please. Sirius…please…I…" He bowed his head. "Lori…I killed Lori."
Sirius' lips grew narrow, and if it was possible, his face ever gaunter. He nodded and waved Harry out the door without words. Harry's shoulders sagged heavily. He waited in the darkness as Sirius packed up Luna's tower door. It was in silence that they waved their way back through the dark corridors of the prison, dispatching what Walkers they could whenever confronted with the stragglers that had infested their home. Eventually the safety—or well, what had been the safety—of C-Block came into view and Harry tried so hard to ignore the blood that splattered the walls and the stench that fouled the air. He paused at the threshold as Sirius vanished inside to set up Luna's tower once more.
He wanted to enter—he really did—but his knees were so weak, and his head spun about with thoughts that he didn't want to face.
What if—what it Skye was dead—what if Rick was dead—what if Maggie, or Glenn, or Sam, or Carol—anyone he loved could be dead. How could he faced a reality without them?
Sirius' head poked out, a worn smile touching his lips.
"Come on, Bambi, it's alright."
Harry stepped forward, past the iron gates, into what remained of Carol and Sam's kitchen. It was in utter disarray, and all Luna's flowers were strewn around like a wind had ripped through.
"Daryl?" Harry attentively asked, his heart thudding in his chest.
Sirius smiled wearily. "He tripped over and broke his foot."
The relief that rushed out of him made Harry suddenly dizzy. "W…what?"
Draco shoved past. "I swear," the young wizard ranted, "you're all trying to kill me. Luna! We're going to need to open up another section of your tower. I need more supplies, these idiots just keep wounding themselves."
"Hey, hey," Sirius touched his chest, "this was not our fault."
No, Harry's frown deepened, it was not their fault. Someone had attacked them. Someone had done this to them—
Someone was going to pay dearly.
Sirius' hand was gentle against the curve of his back, leading him through the gate into C-Block. He tried to ignore the bodies of the fallen men being dragged out by Axel, Glenn and Big Tiny, but it was hard not to just stare at them in seething hatred. He wished Sirius or Remus would just banish the bodies already and be done with it—screw the laws of Magic.
As promised, Daryl was sitting on a chair looking utterly spent, splattered with more blood that was healthy, arguing with a very annoyed look Carol who was attempting to wash a gash on his face.
She gave up upon sighting his approach.
Harry frowned as she passed the bowl of water and wash-cloth into his hands. "You deal with him, I have enough to do."
Carol stalked past. Harry noticed her own limp.
"Daryl, she's hurt too."
"We all are." Daryl's exhausted shrug was painfully slow. Harry winced. How long had it been since they'd all had a decent sleep?
He set the bowl of bloodied water down and set about trying to tidy the man up as best he could. He wasn't sure if it was because Daryl had lost the last bit of fight in him, or if he was just more comfortable with a kid tending to him—whatever it was, he sat with just a scowl on his face, wincing every so often.
"How is the kid?"
"Which kid?" Harry asked.
"The Arsekicker?"
"Oh, you mean…the baby? She's good."
"A girl?" Daryl smiled. "It's a girl."
Harry nodded. "Yeah."
"Anyone seen Rick, yet?" Daryl looked around their group.
Maggie was the one to answer. "Dad took him into Luna's Tower tah say goodbye to…to…Lori—"
"Okay!" Sam swung through the gate suddenly, pulling a new, clean shirt over her head. She threw another at Daryl. "Now," she held out another, "where is my husband? While I appreciate the heroics, I much prefer being a damsel, it makes for better sex."
The silence, Harry concluded, could have cut a Walker's neck. No one answered. Everyone looked at her and that, perhaps, was the worst thing he had ever seen, the sudden realisation of that moment that accrued to all of them.
None of them had been prepared for this moment.
Sam's eyes widened, all colour draining from her cheeks. She made a beeline for the entrance of C-Block. Sirius was on his feet, but Remus and snatched him back, shaking his head.
Despite his broken foot, Daryl grappled for her, tackling her down.
"Sam…wait a minute!"
"What do you mean, wait a minute!?" She cried out from under him. "Oh, gods, Daryl, don't tell me…don't tell me he's…"
"Sam, just listen…"
Harry choked back a sob. Merlin. Oh Merlin. He could not do this. Ron. Lori. He buried his head into his knees.
"Skye got shot," Daryl tried again. "It hit a lung. It's pretty bad."
Sam curled into a ball, a tiny little ball, as small as she could get, in Daryl's lap, as sobs of denial shook her shoulders.
Hot tears scorched Harry's cheeks. He scrambled up. Escape. He had to get away. He tore out of C-Block, out into the warm air of the midday sun. The blue sky mocked him as he slid to his knees. Bodies of Walkers lay around him. Glenn, Axel, George and Big Tiny were already beginning to set them into piles to burn.
His fists clenched as a swell of magic surged through his core. Whoever had done this—he was going to destroy them. No one harmed his family.
No one.
Harry slammed open the door into the prison cell, causing Draco to spin sharply.
"Where is she?"
"Who—"
"Don't mess with me Draco! The sniper Fred caught, where is she? You patched her up, didn't you?"
Draco held out a hand, it pressed against his chest like a barrier. "Harry, you need to calm down, your magic is going wild. You go in there, you will do something you seriously regret."
"Worried I'll kill her! She deserves it."
"Listen to yourself." Draco's grip tightened on his shirt. "Just…listen…Harry, please. Wait here until I get a calming draught into you. I don't want you to do anything you'll regret later."
"I don't need a calming draught!"
Draco pushed him back. "You listen to me!" His friend barrelled up to him, and Harry backed away, not for the first time realizing the height difference between them. Draco loomed over him, his chest panting, sweat mixed with blood capturing in his collar bone. "I know you will go in there and you will kill him, how do I know this, because you, Harry Potter, are an avenger. Professor Dumbledore never wanted to see it, but damn it all, we Slythierns saw it the moment you walked through Hogwarts bloody gates! So you shut the fuck up, sit your arse down and let me get a calming draught into you."
Harry slowly slid down onto the seat, covering his face.
Draco stormed off to his bench.
"She hurt Skye. Ron and Lori are dead! Morgana, Draco, I need to…I just…I need to…do something!"
"I know, Harry, I know…" Draco's tone softened. "I know."
"Ron…Lori…"
His hands were pulled away and a glass was pressed to his lips. Draco crouched in front of him. "Just breathe, let your magic leak out through your feet, back into the earth, let it go."
The calming draught seeped through him like sap, his muscles relaxed and with the relaxation came a sensation of tingling, besetting his limbs, it was instantly distracting from the situation at hand and he wondered if that was why it was supposed to be calming.
"Okay…" Draco held his shoulders. "You think you're good?"
Harry nodded weakly. "Ye…yeah…I'm good."
"I'll let you in, but you stay out of Sirius and Rick's way, alright, this is adult business. We're still just kids, remember."
"I know."
"I'm being serious, Harry. I know this situation has changed a lot, but take it from a child of a Death Eater, we're still kids and we need to let adults do their thing. Even if we think it's a stupid thing. Our job is to stay alive to actually be adults."
Harry smiled. "True words, Draco."
Draco waved his wand in the direction of the nearby isolation ward and the door opened. Harry managed one last glance back at his friend before slipping into the darkened room. He noticed Glenn standing off to the corner of the room and quickly shuffled over to join him. He received a small nod. It felt wrong, not have Daryl or Skye around, but Glenn was enough of a safety net. He wondered why Remus wasn't with them—but then—someone had to be watching the parameter and Remus would have offered to do that.
Harry leant against the back wall, watching the scene unfold with a growing anxiety tightening in his stomach. Rick was stalking the small room. Sirius sat on a chair, facing the bound sniper. She looked so average now that she just sat there, defeated. Wait. Not defeated. Her eyes gleamed with a fierceness akin to Rick's, something that only a survivor held. Harry frowned. Why the hell had she attacked their little group, what the hell had they done to her?
"We've got a problem…" Sirius stood slowly.
"I think I noticed." Rick growled out.
Sirius waved a hand about. "Bigger one. Lucius has teamed up with some folk in some town called Woodbury." He motioned at the woman, whose eyes had widened in fright and confusion. Harry wasn't surprised, anyone who had been confronted with Sirius' ***** would find themselves baffled at how he came across information in their mind. She hadn't spoken a word and yet he likely already knew her age, her mother's name, her name, her life story—Harry shrugged off the slimy feeling that came with thinking about the spell he had never really liked.
"You got all that from just staring at her?" Glenn raised an eyebrow, pushing away from the wall.
"It's a spell, to read minds." Harry piped up. "All Aurors, magical police men, have to know it."
"Wait, you can read our minds?" Glenn stepped back.
"Not something we tend to do to Muggles often," Sirius shook his head. "Scrambles your brains, hear it gives a killer headache too."
"Who else knows how to do this spell?" Rick frowned.
Sirius motioned to Harry. "Been teaching Harry. Draco already knows it due to his upbringing, he also knows the counter-spell. Harry's been having a bit of trouble with that one."
Harry shrugged. "Mind magics are awful."
"But useful." Sirius ran a hand through his hair.
"So," Harry stepped forward. "What's her name?"
"Sasha. Her names Sasha." Sirius murmured. "Harry, she was only following orders. She honestly, truly, really thought we were a threat."
"I don't care! She hurt Skye, she would have killed him, all of us, if I didn't throw up a shield. We killed all the others, we should kill her too!"
"Harry." Sirius' hands settled on his shoulders, heavy and firm. "Be careful with how you are thinking. Just, be careful."
Harry looked away, shamefully. The heat of tears warmed the edges of his eyes and he curled against Sirius. "I'm sorry, I just…"
He was hugged, and he didn't even care that it was in front of Rick, or Glenn—or even the sniper.
"The question remains," Glenn turned to the woman. "What are we going to do with her?"
"She knows our enemy." Rick crouched in front of her, "And if she has any desire to stay alive, she'll help us."
Harry watched as Draco wrapped the blanket around Hermione lying in the cot within their shambled together hospital wing. He had never expected that he would be seeing Draco in a medical role so easily, nor had he expected that it would the hospital wing that would be the most important area within their small home.
"My wards held." Draco murmured without looking to him. "This is the only area of C-Block not harmed."
"Your wards always hold, Draco." Harry crouched beside Hermione, brushing aside a strand of her tightly woven hair. "How is she?"
"Exhausted." Draco sat down with a groan. "So am I, but I'm running on pepper-ups. Can't leave Skye for longer than a few minutes."
Harry looked across the room, toward the bed where the man lay under a conjured blanket. He frowned, noticing the string of magic running between Draco and Skye. Now Hermione's exhaustion made sense, she was not exhausted from the fight, she was exhausted from the spell keeping Skye breathing as his punctured lung healed. It was the magical equivalent of life support, but it relied entirely upon the magical caster's ability to breathe for the wounded. Magic was a cruel mistress sometimes.
"Shit…Draco…that's dangerous magic."
"Yeah, but Hermione's the one who thought of it." Draco waggled his brow. "We're taking shifts. Fred will here in a few minutes to take over from me, then I'll go and check on Daryl and give him his potions."
Harry shook his head. "I should do it."
"We need you in reserve, same as Luna. If something…Morgana forbid…goes wrong, and he makes a turn for the worst, we'll need you both. I've never made a regenerative potion, Harry. I could botch this up."
Harry squeezed Draco's hand.
"And I can't botch this up again. Ron was hard enough to deal with."
Leaning against Draco's shoulder Harry closed his eyes. He had been selfish, so very selfish, thinking he was the only one who had been suffering in losing Ron. Draco had tried so hard to save Ron. He wondered when Draco had last slept.
Something thumped, startling them both. Draco jerked with a small snort. Fred was standing at the entrance, holding a book. He smiled at them both, his freckled cheeks sunburnt from the summer heat outside.
"Don't fall asleep, Draco, until we switch the spell over."
Draco rubbed at his eyes. "Sorry."
"Come on, let's do this." Fred held out his wand. "You need to move about or you're going to collapse. George and I can take some shifts. Skye'll be in good hands."
Harry stood, leaving them both to the magical wand waving.
C-Block was unnaturally, quiet, or at least, the adults were. There was a sound he had not heard in a long time coming from the nearly cleared kitchen area. The sound of a newborn screaming. Harry bit his lips. This was not a good sign. Poking his head around the corner he watched as Beth nursed the newborn little girl, swaddled in a pink and blue blanket, dotted with ducks. She was doing a good job of it, but by the screeches coming from the newest member of their family, little was going to settle the girl. Daryl sat off to the side, glaring at Sam as she washed blood and guts off him in the vain attempt of something to do.
Harry raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was not near Skye, sitting with her husband—but then again—sometimes some people could not face the idea of a loved one hurting, a loved one dying, and simply refused to accept the fact, and continued forward, and ignored the reality.
Perhaps Sam was like that. Perhaps she was trying to cope in her own way.
Harry headed for Beth and held out his hands. "Here, let me."
Beth almost melted in relief as she handed the newborn into his arms.
"She won't stop. Is she sick?"
"No…" Harry hummed low in his chest. "She's hungry." He rocked her, watching her blue eyes begin to flutter, and slowly, she curled into a tighter ball.
Beth breathed out. "How did you do that?"
"Magic." Harry chuckled, carefully settling the sleeping babe into the box lined with blankets. "I baby-sat a lot of screaming babies, they seemed to like me. I think babies can still sense magic."
"That's just cheating." Beth flicked his ear playfully.
"Yeah, it is." Harry shrugged. "But it works. She's going to need formula, and soon. We're going to have to go back to that store. Why didn't…why didn't I think of this. We were just there a few days ago!"
"It's not your fault, Harry." Sam pulled on a jacket. "It's not that far, right?"
"Where do you think you're going?" Daryl stood before Draco grabbed his shoulder and shoved him right back down. The exhausted looking blond dumped a kit of potions on the nearby table.
"Where do you think you're going? Sit! You broke your ankle, you dim-wit! I have to vanish it, and regrow it. It's going to take the whole damn day, you moron. Don't make it worse!"
Sam raised an eyebrow in what would have once been amusement, but her face was scared with too much grief. "I'm going to get Glenn. Harry come on. We don't have much time."
"Semuyeru!" Daryl snapped. "Don't you fucking dare! You're staying right here."
Sam turned sharply.
"My husband is lying in a makeshift ICU, Daryl, and he might not wake up. I am entitled to a little bit of fuck-it-all. Harry, let's go."
Yep, Harry concluded, Sam was one of those people who expressed grief by trying to do everything possible to ignore the situation at hand.
For a moment, Harry was not entirely sure who to obey. His magic was burning, telling him he had to stay with Daryl, the man was seething, but it was not anger toward either him or Sam—he could sense Daryl knew they were doing what they had to do—the anger was at himself, his inability to go with them and protect them.
Harry wet his lips. No. He had to believe that above all, if Daryl couldn't protect someone, then it was his job to do so.
"I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."
"That is not very reassuring, Bambi, considering your track record."
"Hey, you're as much a moron as I am."
He received a middle-finger in reply. That was the end of that conversation. Harry scoffed and stormed off toward their cell. He snatched up his nap-snack, swinging it over his shoulder, and attached his knives. Luna's soft voice startled him enough for him to jump around, knife drawn.
"Luna…sorry…"
She smiled weakly. The deep bags under her eyes pressing into her cheeks, causing her to lose just some of her usual, bright glow.
"Harry…" she rushed into his arms suddenly, causing him to stagger back against the wall. He dropped his knife. She was trembling like a rag doll, sobbing into his shoulder, the dampness of her tears hot on his skin. Automatically his arms encased her.
"It's all right, Luna. We're all okay…"
"I was so scared."
"I know," he whispered. "I know. I'm so sorry."
"Terrible things are going to happen."
Harry tensed. This was not what he wanted to hear right now. Tugging her away, Harry gripped her cheeks, rubbing away the tears. He studied her grey eyes, wondering just what it was that she saw through them. What did the world look like to Luna Lovegood—what did he look like?
So carefully, as if he was holding a flower, he cradled her closer and dared to press his lips momentarily against hers. When he pulled away, her eyes were wide and tears sprinkled her cheeks like moon dust.
"I'll be back soon, I promise."
He left her, standing in the dim light of the cell, and he felt like the most horrible person for doing so.
Rick stood by the inner courtyard gate, Sirius beside him like a haunting shadow. Harry knew why his godfather was there, he was making sure Rick did not do anything stupid. Both men looked as exhausted as Harry felt. Predawn light shimmered in the sky, tinting the clouds a soft, pink hue. It would have been a perfect morning, Harry felt—the perfect morning for a baby's first real day—if it had not come at such a price to them all.
Glenn paused the land-rover as Rick approached, he leaned into the vehicle.
"I appreciate what you're doing."
Glenn nodded. "Keep everyone safe, Rick. We'll be back in a few hours."
Rick's eyes shifted toward Sam, her stoic features frozen in a gaze toward the sunrise.
"Sam…Hershel is good, so is Draco. Hershel saved my boy even without magic. He'll do what he can."
"Thanks Rick." Sam murmured. "I'm…I'm…sorry about…Lori…"
Rick reached for her hand, gripping it. He raised it to his cheek. "We'll find who did this, and we will end them."
Sam managed a nod. She urged Glenn, "Come on, we don't have much time."
They drove down through the outer-courtyard, through the smouldering fires of burning Walkers. Axel and Big Tiny tendered to the fires. They both waved and Harry waved back, trying to smile to them both. At the main gates, Remus and Maggie greeted them.
Carl was at the gate already, pulling it open. Harry felt his stomach twist at the sight of him, his mind running back to Lori and her last moments in her son's arms. He shook it off, trying to think of happier thoughts, less tainted by what had just transpired.
Remus tapped the edge of the land-rover as they rolled past.
"You all keep safe out there. We don't know what this new group is capable off."
"Don't worry," Glenn gave a thumbs up, "we're just going to the nearby town we did our last run in, looking for baby formula."
"Why din we think of that?" Maggie cursed.
"Yeah," Harry grouched. "My thoughts exactly."
"Well," Remus shrugged, "I doubt we expected Lori…well…this is an usual situation." He sighed. "Best of luck. Harry, don't leave Sam or Glenn's side."
"I know." Harry waved out the window as they drove out. The prison vanished from sight and he crumbled back into his seat, feeling weak in the stomach. Luna's words echoed in his mind. Something bad was going to happen—he was just not sure how much worse things could get.
Who was he kidding, he was Harry Potter, things could always get so much worse.