Where do twenty questions lead? Death may know!

by eyeseemore

Harry meets Merle on a rooftop in Atlanta. After twenty questions, he finds himself enthralled with the ruff man and decides to follow him and his brother (and maybe their group). Or maybe, Death feels that Harry deserves a second – albeit fucked up – chance at life. Throw in a George, Ron, Draco, Daryl and Michonne and see what you will get. Also posted on AO3, same user name

4. Magic still burns, dont play with death

Four: magic still burns, that is why you don't play with death

All my love goes out to Salllzy, who helped get this chapter to were it is right now. Sidenote: I crosspost on AO3, under the same username. Also a lot of thanks to a lot of readers who left kudo's and really sweet reviews. I appreciate them all, I like reading how you feel about certain actions, and I enjoy you enthousiasm. Let me know what you think :) thank you for reading.

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After taking on the Potter and Black lordships, Harry had been gifted two more. Draco had only snorted at that when they had been seated in the Malfoy study, and Lucius was both teaching them about running an estate, taking care of the books, and dealing with the Goblins and ministry in the process. Harry had gotten the Slytherin mantle by the conquest of the last lord and the Peverell mantle by blood touched by Death. If he only had known what that meant, then.

The Peverell estate came with multiple housings with elves that had taken care of everything throughout the years. The Slytherin account was Tom Riddle's old account and Harry had donated that money towards a good cause. The organisation would take care of any muggle-borns or magicals who had been muggle-raised like Harry and Tom and they were to be taught the ways of the wizarding world. So that these children would not make the same mistakes Tom, Harry or Hermoine had. It was the least he could do, because he refused to get involved in any other way. This way, he also got the Ministry off his back, for not joining the Wizengamot and taking up his titles, but leaving them in Lucius's more than capable hands.

Draco had come up with the idea for the good cause, to show that he cared for the world, but was still not ready to this himself. Nobody knew that it was Draco who had polyjuiced himself as Harry for that exclusive interview about the world's Saviour, or who did the opening speech. Harry, as a French cousin from Narcissa, seemed to enjoy watching Draco creepily act like him. It had taken the heat off the attention that the public gave him and it gave them something new to talk about. Draco flourished at these events, so Blaise Zabini had taken the Polyjuice to be Draco for a few hours until before he became sick and had to leave. Harry had appointed Narcissa as the Lady Patronage, which she fulfilled with a vengeance.

Unfortunately, the old Potter Manor had been destroyed in the first war, Godric Hollow in the second war, after the destruction of the two properties there had been no main home since for the Potters. Harry would have loved to see both restored to their former glory, but Lucius advised against it since Harry was way too known, and they were too easily corrupted during the build. If he wanted, he could build a new manor, but Harry did not feel like it. There was a vacation cottage in Ireland that was to his tastes, so he stayed there for the holidays, and he found a homely house in France that his grandparents used. He used the remaining elves from the Slytherin estate to be sent to both houses, to maintain the lands and properties. The elves were more than happy to be of service.

The Black estate only had two townhouses left: Grimmauld Place and one in Hogsmeade named Orion's Belt. The Black paranoia had caused the former inhabitants of some bigger places to be destroyed or Harry was unable to live in them, seeing as he only had Black blood from his grandmother on his father's side. Narcissa was the one who checked those two manors, but even she decided against using them for any purpose. Anything of value had been sold already or was transferred to Grimmaulds. The only house elf left, was Kreacher. He left Orion's Belt to Teddy, his godson, and made him heir to the Black-fortune. Just in case anything would happen to him. Seeing as his grandmother had been a black, the boy would qualify as the Black heir, there was nothing that anyone could do to change it either.

The Slytherin estate had held one house, but Tom Riddle had destroyed that to make his own manor, but never had been able to finish those plans. The madness had taken over. Harry sold the land back to the muggles that lived there, after a specialist team including Bill, was sent by Gringotts to clear the land, for a fee naturally.

The Slytherin vault held many weird items, paintings, heirlooms, jewelry, and artifacts. Together with Severus, Lucius, and Ron they emptied it completely, and Harry distributed everything that he did not wish to keep among his closest friends or sold it through Lucius. He renamed the vault and gave it to Severus, who did not have a personal vault that was that well-protected within Gringotts. Harry had felt it only fitting for the master of Snakes.

Severus' only tell that he did not know what to do with that, was the incredibly dour look on his face when he was added to the revamped wards by the Goblin in question, but the tradition did not let him refuse. The potion master also had gotten his mother's private vault back that held many of her potion journals. With Harry's political power, and Lucius cunning the current Prince lord had been no match for the giants of power. It had been a distant cousin who lived in Poland nowadays who had reinstated Severus within mere moments. Severus, who was way too known as potion master Snape, decided to hyphenate to Snape-Prince. The luxurious bathing kits that they received afterward may or may not have been a thank you.

§§§§§

The day the dead had started walking, potion master Severus Snape-Prince was minding the shop briefly for his employer, who had just stepped out to get them some lunch from the café in one of the other squares. Lady Marriet Hicks, a very well-known and renowned potion master who worked at the American Firal Alley, had posted a vacancy in the Potions journal worldwide a few years after the war, and when Severus had read it, he seized the opportunity. He had taught potions three more years after the war by request of Minerva, before he had found a German potion master who was glad to take over at Hogwarts, so Severus could do what he did best: brew and create. Maybe he also wanted to leave Britain to make a living for himself. Maybe he loved the idea of a clean slate, where people would only judge him for his work and not based on his reputation. In the end it did not take long to make up his mind.

Lady Hicks had offered him a decent salary, generous hours, his own potion lab, and lodging above the shop. In return he needed to brew the most potions she needed and could brew or experiment if there was downtime. She was an elegant woman, 15 years Severus' senior and she had built quite the reputation. She had invented a potion for pregnant women that helped them with all their ailments. As a lot of ingredients were dangerous for pregnant witches not only to the mother but the mother as well, she had combined Native-American and Indian medicine with her own potioneering skills and had made a lot of money off that. She had a small business, providing general household potions, but also sold to various medical facilities. Severus had taken to the shop and its customers immediately.

Every morning there would be a witch who tended to the till and customers, and Severus could start easy with a cup of tea, prep his ingredients, brew to his heart's content, and if it was time for lunch, either Miss Ross or Lady Hicks would collect him. Marriet had her own lab a few doors from him, so often she would visit around eleven to drink tea with him. She had created a small kitchenette where they would lunch between their labs. Sometimes in silence, other times telling each other about their inventions or discussing what the other had read, they would spend their lunch together. Be it a conversation about potions or something else. After lunch Miss Ross left the shop and Marriet took over so she could communicate with her clientele. It had been the sole reason to hire another Master, she had wanted to get out from the basements where labs usually were located and enjoy her business somewhat more.

It had taken him a few years to realize that Marriet and him not only clicked professionally, but also on a personal level. He did not mind that she was a few years older as witches usually outlived their spouses, and when they had gotten more serious after Severus finally asked her out to dinner, she had giggled that she loved having her own boy-toy. She would still use that special endearment to get something from him. Severus knew she did it, but he felt that it was useless to fight the fact that happiness had found him once again, not thinking it was possible, not daring to hope for that. He had never expected to survive the war, let alone be courting a very lovely and intelligent witch.

He had told Marriet everything; his faults, his life decisions, and she had only smiled at him. She didn't mind his scars, his nose or his personality; but she loved his gallant behaviour, the fact that he would brew her coffee in the mornings without asking, the way he could take her elegantly around the ballroom, and the personal support he offered. Severus had never once minded that she had her own business as some men had protested that it was not befitting for a lady to dirty her own hands. Severus found those trivial matters; he had his own inventions and qualifications that spoke for him. It had taken him a while, but after a year or two, he needed to accept that she loved him for who he was. He could only say that he was totally smitten with the woman.

One fateful night, some months after Harry's 28th birthday, where he had been in attendance with Marriet at his side, secretly enjoying the surprised faces, he found the young Lady Longbottom in his lab. Her ethereal appearance hadn't changed since Hogwarts, and Severus looked at her wearily. Luna Lovegood had been a force to be reckoned with, someone who had never been afraid of him. Even during the war, she had helped him help the students. He believed that had been the year that mister Longbottom had finally made his move. The quirky girl had always been an excellent student even if nobody saw it, and someone who he had not underestimated during his career. Especially not in his year as headmaster, the young girl, now a woman, was a spitfire, even if she looked like a fairy herself.

"Lady Longbottom," he started. He knew that Augusta had passed the official titles onto her grandson after he got married, and even though he knew she was not the one for formalities, some rules were drilled into his head by his mother from a young age. This being one of them.

"How nice of you, master Snape-Prince, but Luna will still do. Oh, don't mind me, but do you prefer Lord or master?"

"Master will do just fine, as long as you leave my old professor title out of it. I do not believe that I have ever called you by your first name, milady." He looked curiously at the woman in his lab, dressed in light blue battle robes, adorned with various curiosa. She might not have worn her radish earrings, those were replaced with some Longbottom heirlooms, but she still had the same eternal glow around her, which was enhanced by the pixie-silken scarf that mesmerised him whenever it flowed around her. A rare good that was.

"No, I suppose you haven't. You may now." She spoke soft and peaceful, and yet powerful in her own right.

"Naturally, milady. How may I be of service?" He placed a few stasis charms on two cauldrons, and paid attention to the young lady that he used to teach.

"I have a letter for you, you may open it over 20 days exactly." She handed him a very thick scroll and before he could say anything, she had left. He looked at the wax seal that held it together and recognized it immediately. He dropped the scroll as if it were on fire, levitated it towards his desk and decided that even he had to face the music one day. Just not today.

Exactly twenty days later, Severus hesitantly opened the scrolls he was given, read through them twice and then just did what was asked of him. It couldn't hurt to be prepared. He had lived too long, been through too much, and had been acquainted with death on one or two occasions, to not listen. Especially with that seal, a seal that was feared but never ignored. Nothing good may come of it, yet he knew his history.

Twenty-two days later, when an inferi did walk into the shop as the letter had said, Severus threw a ball of fire at its chest only for it not to work. A quick cutting spell severed the head and stopped its course. Severus didn't get his mastery in defence against the dark arts for nothing. He scoffed annoyed, with great skill he summoned his and Marriet's packed-up belongings wandless and walked out of the shop, closing it on his way out the way the letter had instructed.

He knew Marriet was getting their lunch, so he fought his way through the panic, threw a few powerful shields here and there to protect some children and cleared a full alley on his own. Marriet saw him coming, holding onto their lunch with one hand and her wand in the other. He smelled the residue of a potion they had made together that threw up a shield, and he noticed she had paid attention to the details from the letter he had been able to share with her. He took her hand, blasted a few heads of some inferi, and activated their portkey without a warning to his beloved.

They landed in front of the Peverell manor, where they had been invited for Harry's birthday that Draco had organised. Marriet, who clearly looked shocked, hugged him closely.

"Oh Severus, it is even worse than what you described! I mean …"

He held her close and waited until she calmed down. Marriet had never seen a lot of action nor had she ever really been in a battle before, there was also the issue that she had not needed to use her knowledge after she had left school. She was a powerful witch, that was very true, but this kind of affair did not stump him in the slightest. But he had served a Dark Lord, a Light Lord, and had fought for one child only. It was ironic that this child would be the one to take him to safety now.

"It is quite alright, breathe my dear. We are very safe." He gently stroked her cheek. "I closed the shop and spelled it for any looters. I activated the wardstones before I left." He reached into his robes and gave her a handkerchief with his initials on it. Courtesy of Narcissa for his 47th birthday.

Her beautiful green eyes looked up towards him and she looked astonished while she took it from him.

"You were prepared?" She delicately blew her nose and then dabbed at her tears, like a true lady. Something he always admired; she could be a lady but she was also a fierce woman at the same time.

"I always am, my dear. I must admit that the letter did offer some extra solutions. I have brought our full labs with me, there is nothing left in the whole shop. I apologize if I could not share that tidbit of information with you. If this may offer some reassurance, there is nothing left to loot, and I quite mean nothing." Severus showed the women he loved a rare smile he reserved only for her.

"All of it?" Marriet laughed at the difficult, yet amazing man that had walked into her life eight years ago and she thought fondly of the night that she had decided that he would be the one for her. He had asked for her hand during a dinner, seeing as they were too old to have people create marriage contracts for them, that didn't mean that they weren't too old to court though as there was no real age limit on courting. She had never wanted such affairs and Severus had not once talked about it. He did however present her a promise ring; a beautiful onyx band with a few gemstones: a small aventurine, a beautiful cut emerald, and a lovely, polished jade. She had said yes. On their anniversary, she had handed him a beautiful set of Goblin-forged silver cufflinks with little black tourmaline stones. He had never worn any others from that day forward.

"I might have packed your belongings in secret yesterday. Maybe I also went shopping for ingredients, materials and other things. I know you wanted to sew another lovely dress yourself."

The woman laughed and smiled at him.

"You rascal!"

"Well, he loved to call us dunderheads, so I must admit that 'rascal' sounds very fitting for Master Snape." George Weasley bowed at the couple and waved his wand around to guide them into the wards. "Welcome to The Peverell Manor, my name is George Weasley milady, I believe we met briefly. May I cast a diagnostic for safety? You did not get bitten, scratched or any else? Our resident healer will be with you shortly if there is anything that requires immediate attention. If you would follow me please, we need to add your signatures to Peverell Manor."

§§§§§

Shane and Rick had wanted to leave the quarry. They were arguing for half an hour now. Merle did not care about where they would go, Merle was angrier with the asshole that removed their can-lines for protection, than he was for leaving. If those had been there, they could have prevented a lot of trouble. He would make the best out of every situation. The redneck did not care for his possessions, except his brother and now he extended that care to Carol and her little tyke. Somehow all it took was an apocalypse to get him to lower his guard, and somewhere in his heart he didn't care. He might not have thought of himself as the dad-type, but he was a good protector. He would keep all three safe. No matter the cost.

The biters had attacked in the night, probably because they ran out of food in the city, and there were too many people with too much noise. They were migrating. The stupid army had napalmed the city a few weeks back when Daryl and Merle had tried to reach a safe point, having even more people turn into those things. Merle had heard them coming, Daryl protecting them with his crossbow, Merle with a long hunting knife in one hand, and a shotgun in the other. He had pushed a knife in Carol's hand, pushing the girls behind them. That had been literally all he had cared for. These were the people he would die for.

The sheriff's kid had barely escaped death and had been protected by T-Dog and Shane, his own father taking care of others. Stupid. And now they were giving away their guns. Not that Merle cared for the guns of the others; he would get out with Daryl and Carol if needed, but he thought the Moralez family was stupid to leave a group. Most of their relatives would be dead by now.

Ed had been bitten, being too sloshed from his injuries, wailing in his tent alone. Nobody had bothered to look out for him, so nobody had checked if he wasn't going to be bitten. Merle was beyond happy that the man was dead. It had given him a lot of satisfaction to put a knife through the man's stupid skull, ending the now walker's life. He knew Carol still loved a part of that man, mainly for giving her Sophia, but she did not know if she was going to cry or laugh about the situation.

"Whatcha reckon'?" Their accents usually got heavier when they were angry. Merle just shrugged at his brother's question.

"Might be good for the little tyke to stay with officers' kid. Until we find a safe harbour, we could follow them. A group can keep us safe now."

"Yeah. What did Carol want to do?" Daryl casually lit a cigarette from a pack Glenn had found somewhere in the city on one of his runs.

"She's alright, not very vocal yet." Merle nodded. The woman had practically jumped when he asked her what she wanted to do. He had left her his tent and slept with Daryl for now. He should be able to find a bigger tent for them, especially if the doll became older, she would need her privacy even from her mother. He looked over at Carol, and smiled a big toothy smile at her, when she came their way with Sophia next to her. The knife he had handed her yesterday on her belt.

"You good to go, lovie?"

"Yes Merle, we are. Does everything fit in your truck?" Carol plucked nervously at the blouse she was wearing, her once white sneakers had become dirty with sand from the quarry. She had packed all their stuff as if that was the normal thing to do, cleared her old car with everything that was still valuable and moved it over to Merle's truck. Both he and Daryl had stripped the other cars for parts and took whatever they could get their hands on. Daryl had hidden a few jerry cans of fuel in the back of the truck, just in case. If they were going to take care of more than just themselves, they needed more than the usual supplies.

"Yeah, Daryl will drive the bike upfront, us in the truck. Ya okay with that doll?" He looked at the little girl. The first days she had feared the big man and he knew how he could look and act, but she warmed up to him after he protected her mother and gave her food every night at least. The leftovers were for breakfast. The little girl just nodded while holding a stuffed animal that the china man had brought back for her in her hands, gripping it tightly.

§§§§§

The RV broke down in the middle of the ride to the CDC as Dale had announced it would since they did not have the replacement hose from the delivery truck. The sheriff and his deputy were running around like chickens, but he agreed with Dale that they really needed that. The RV was useful to the group. They had to leave Jim behind, being too sick to travel even more after he got scratched and ran with a high fever. The man wanted nothing more than a bottle of water and a small gun so he could shoot himself.

They got out of their cars and Shane gave the rest the order to loot, as Glenn and T-Dog already had started. Dale on the lookout, Daryl keeping the ladies safe, perched on Merle's bike. Merle had offered his mechanic skills, fixing the RV in no time with some parts from another car. It had been Carol who murmured to Lori that without Merle, this would have taken way too much time and could have proven to be dangerous.

It took a while before they arrived at the CDC, Rick had won this battle from Shane, when Merle felt something creep over his skin, his gut as his gran would say, but he decided to keep quiet. Some things were better left unsaid. There were dead people everywhere, walkers who woke up and then the dead started crawling and walking towards them. There were stranger things around than his gut.

The floor was littered with dead people; ambulance personnel, doctors, civilians, soldiers, children. They had probably bombed the site, so the ones that weren't shot in the head, now got up to get their fresh fill of human meat. Most of them switched into gear and started fighting to protect themselves and the group.

When Merle spotted Hadrian, standing in front of the shutters arguing with a camera on the building with a white blond at his side who had been talking animatedly, he looked at him surprised. He had not expected to see the Brit so soon. A blond female and a redhead were standing guard at their backs. The broad redhead wearing a gigantic two handed sword, the female two long silver-looking daggers. With the survivor group from one side, the two from the other side cleaving through the crowd, most were dead before they got at the shutters. Yet, there were more incoming. He did see a few walkers laying there with something that looked like burn marks, but the situation did not make him question it. Sunshine looked nervous, as if he did not know what to do. Hadrian looked a bit grey in his face, thought Merle, but he did not question this either. He could do that another time. He still had some questions left for the man!

When the shutters opened, the survivors released a breath they did not know they were holding. The blond cursed something he could not understand, but did climb through the door, to get in. The four of them stood apart from the rest of the survivors, not looking as bad as they did.

"Hello sunshine!" Merle was the first to speak out, and to break the silence when they were all in the building.

Hadrian laughed, while petting his blond friend on his shoulder and he smiled genuinely at Merle.

"Hello Merle, I did not expect to see you so soon."

"Disappointed sunshine?" Merle smirked at his saviour, while holding Sophia close, ready for any new danger, he made sure that Carol was between Daryl and himself.

"No, not at all." Hadrian looked at the man with a gun in his hands that stood before him. "Hello doctor, thank you for letting us in."

"A doctor with a gun?" Shane piped up. "That's a weird welcome party."

"You get very familiar with them, while they are lying around. My name is Doctor Edwin Jenner, come on, follow me. You look like good people, I think." The man smiled and looked at all of them. He held still when he saw Carl. "Except you, I might have to watch out for you."

It did the trick and made the boy laugh which caused the adults to release some tension.

§§§§§

Harry had taken more than one day off and Draco had joined him on the third day for a swim.

"Finally listening to your personal healers' orders?" Draco had a lovely smirk on his face while he sat down next to Harry. He had removed his robes and wore nothing but swim trunks. Since the trees provided some shade, he did not have to wear a t-shirt. The pale blonde burned horribly when he just looked at the sun, and while charms would work for a while, Draco preferred a potion that Marriet had fabricated during her training.

Harry just shook his head. He himself relaxed in some muggle swim pants he had bought a few years ago. He had tanned a bit in the last few years, working the land, and being outdoors more than before, so he found that the sun did not bother him that much anymore. A charm was all he needed.

"What do you think? Should I fire the tosser for being annoying?" Harry rested his head against a few of the rocks Luna had gathered. Some she had used to play with runes, others she found pretty, some had some function like heating the water in the winter to make it a hot spring, or a bubble bath if needed. They had fun with that last Christmas, when everything was still normal.

"Now, Lord Peverell, manners my dear!" Draco gave him an eerie perfect Narcissa impression, and both just enjoyed the warm water and indirect sun on their bodies. Harry had found the natural spring that lay on the Peverell Manor-side, big enough to make a small pool, small enough to be able to turn it into whatever he needed. Luna had agreed immediately. Neville had planted some beautiful flowers, little saplings that should become Sakura trees because they reminded him of his wife as he had said lovingly. Mack and John had made a beautiful wood-carved bench that one day would be overhung with the beautiful trees.

In the distance they saw the Lord and Lady Longbottom enjoy a stroll onto the grounds. This consisted of Neville talking to trees, taking care of his lands, and Luna dancing around him in a weird assembly of skirts and shawls that had to pass for a dress. She had a flower crown on her head that Neville had made her. Harry envied the couple; they were so at peace together. Accepting each other and complementing one another in every way.

He had not found it strange when they had announced they were courting. Dowager Longbottom had not wanted Neville to 'date' someone, and somewhere along the line Xenophilius had found it endearing and accepted the courtship immediately, perhaps because he could not say no to his daughter. The fact that they had married in a small ceremony had not surprised either Harry, Draco or Ron.

"What's going on in your mind my brother?" Draco had gone for a little swim, and found Harry wandering and daydreaming.

"I think I am positively envious of the both of them." He gestured towards the couple in the fields. Luna was talking with some pixies and a gnome, while Neville looked over at some bushes.

"Hmm," Draco hummed, "Absolutely. That is very rare, especially among witches and wizards. Seeing as we still work with marriage contracts."

"Have you heard from Astoria?" inquired Harry.

"Yes," Draco paused, looking at Harry and he smiled. "Father kept them safe within his wards, but they understood that I would stay here. Astoria's health is not doing so well, her sister is with her now. You might remember her, Daphne?"

"I do." Harry simply stated.

"Daphne and mother are taking care of Scorpius." Draco looked a bit unsure now. "Harry. Am I a bad father for not being there?"

"You can come and go as you wish; I will never keep you here! If the need arises, I can side-along you without problems, you know that. But no, I do not. He is young, you talk regularly, and Scorpius has your father. Maybe when he's older, you should go over or bring him here. That depends on Astoria's wishes of course."

"I don't want to live there anymore. Mother might pretend it all did not happen at the Manor, but I still have nightmares that tell me otherwise. If we ever get out of this, if we survive, then I will build my own manor and Scorpius can have Malfoy Manor." Draco snorted. "If he ever wants it, and if I ever remarry, that is. I don't think there are many gay wizards left after all those prosecutions during the war. Naturally, I would have been able to have a lover on the side, but that is not the life I want nor the life I want Scorpius to see. I already found it appalling that I had to conceive a child just for the legacy. The only reason I did, is because of father. I did not want him to see our line die out."

"You are a good son, Draco. He often said that I think he understands more than he lets on. Maybe you will find yourself a lovely muggle, who knows?" Harry teased him a bit. Although Draco did not hold on to those ideals as strongly as everybody believed, he did know that Draco would be very uncomfortable with a partner without magic. He had not known anything different his whole life, he would want a partner who was familiar with the wizarding world and magic.

"How about you Harry? I know the complications are still there, but if you find someone, would you go for it?"

"In an apocalypse Draco? I do not know. I have only kissed five people and had sexual encounters with two of them. Three women and two men, next to Cho and Ginny, the others were all muggles. I don't know if I can say that I'm gay nor straight, nor anything really."

"Muggles have a name for that, you know that?" Draco was floating in the water next to Harry.

"Yes, one of those guys told me." Harry felt silent. "I don't know if I feel comfortable putting a label on it. I have enough labels as it is, maybe one day someone will like 'Harry' and then I will give it a chance."

"You don't need a label at all, you are very right. I'm just pointing it out. You don't have to choose one or the other. Even for a wizard you are very young, you have enough time left." Draco climbed out of the water. "You know what, maybe you could get a harem, like an old ancient king." He smirked, knowing that Harry hated talking about this, so he tried softening the conversation with some ridiculousness.

"Ah yes, Harry the god of Death, with a harem full of women and men. Kneel for me, my meek soldier!" Harry shook his head, all the while feeling Death remerging next to him. The being nudged him, signalling that it was time to interfere before it left again. Apparently, an apocalypse wasn't as much fun as it had imagined.

Draco, who knew the tells for when Death was around, pretended to mind his own business and started drying himself off. When Harry started moving again, he spoke softly to him, knowing that Harry's senses were very sensitive if Death had visited. It rarely did when others were around, so it had to be important enough.

"Do you want to leave after lunch? According to Vicky, the CDC won't have much power left. I would love to get my hands on some muggle books as well. Broaden my horizon. I fear this will take a few years to calm down."

"We could take our lunch with us; I don't want to risk apparating too close." Harry got out as well and used a towel to dry his hair. Spells were fine for quick fixes but not for the long haul. They started walking to the Peverell manor, mentally preparing for the day ahead.

"Fine, let's take a shower and hit the road as Mack says. I will gather Luna, maybe see if Ron's back, I thought I heard him before I came in for a swim. Must have had a successful haul then." Draco cast a Tempus charm and looked at their chosen leader. "One hour?"

"Perfect." Harry nodded and followed the blonde into the building, his own manor.

§§§§§

Harry looked at the frantic doctor, who after Draco's pleading, had opened the building for them. Harry had seen with his death-sight, as he called it, that the man had not long to live, so he wondered what would happen. He saw the new group's numbers wavering, changing every second, his own people still having enough time, so he made himself stop worrying. He was not allowed if Draco had anything to say about that.

The doctor demanded a blood test as their entry fee, while Draco did agree to that, being a doctor himself, he pretended to draw blood and give the man some fake samples. A simple non-verbal, wandless anti-muggle charm from Harry did wonders. There was a reason wizarding blood was not so willingly given, as Harry had found out the hard way; there were way too many rituals needing blood and some blood was very potent. It should not fall into the wrong hands. Especially Harry's or Luna's.

Draco and the doctor started a debate immediately that held nobody else's interests, while Luna and Harry followed the group to the kitchen that had been offered by Doctor Jenner. They did not need to bathe, as they just had that morning, so Harry offered to prepare dinner so the rest could relax and take a hot shower. Draco had been right that midday, Ron had returned early and volunteered to come along. The protector of the group signed that he would start looting everything he could for Draco, and then for the rest of them. They were an oiled machine, a machine made for battle, and as much as they hated it: they just worked.

Ron and Harry had developed a sign language during the fifth and sixth year that they had utilized during the war. It enabled Ron to take care of Harry when he could not tell how he felt, which had been practicing every day, so Ron had stopped asking and started signing. Harry felt comfortable with that, because sometimes telling how he felt, did not work as well as the signing did. From there on, it had snowballed. They never told Severus that he had gotten his own sign, which was short for dungeon bat, or Draco who had been named Slytherin's prince. Those were their own secrets.

"I think we should introduce ourselves." It was the man dressed as a muggle police officer that talked to him first. He held a young boy at his side, while a brunette was standing behind him with an unpleasant face. "I'm Rick Grimes. This is my son Carl and my wife Lori." He extended his hand, and Harry shook it.

"Hadrian Potter-Black." It was the easy answer. "This is my sister, Luna Longbottom-Lovegood, the redhead is Ron Weasley, and our resident doctor who is in a hefty debate with the other doctor is Draco Malfoy. It is nice to meet you, mister Grimes." Luna waved at the group, her long coat enhancing her angel-like appearance. Ron mock saluted.

"Rick will do just fine. It is nice to meet y'all. You seem to know Merle, Daryl is his brother. The rest will introduce themselves, I guess." Everyone did after a while; it was clear that Rick was their leader. Carl gave him a shy hand, Lori just looked at him with disdain, Shane was hesitant but had a firm hand, T-Dog clapped his shoulder actively, Carol was timid, Jacqui very soft, Glenn was jovial, Dale reminded Harry of mister Weasley, Andrea was very pleasant but saddened, Daryl just nodded, and Merle hugged him shortly, before turning his attention to the mousy woman at his side.

Harry removed his dragon hide outer robe, which he had spelled to look like the leather duster he had on when he had saved Merle. The green cargo pants and dress shirt were just fine as they were, his tattoos, markings, and scars hidden under hefty glamours. Even his lightning bolt wasn't visible, he did not need the risk of exposure; literally the whole wizarding world knew who he was.

"You look very formally dressed for this time of the year, and recent events." Lori was the first one to approach him after she had taken a shower. She was looking conspicuously at the preparation of his food but let him be after Luna sat on a barstool before Harry, playing with a children's toy she had found. His sister was still in battle mode, that he noticed. She would seemingly space out, while being hyperactive.

"Why are you cooking for us?" Lori looked dumbfounded, but also pleased that she did not have to.

"Why wouldn't I? You look like you need it." Harry answered simply, trying to be nice to the woman, but she already made it difficult for him. "You seem like you had a long journey."

"We did." The older man, Dale, walked into the room, and smiled at Harry. "This smells wonderful son, thank you very much for cooking."

"You are very welcome. Dale was it, right?" Harry waved a spoon around as if he had his wand. Nobody needed to know that he still had two wands strapped to his forearms, that he had become very proficient in wandless and non-verbal magic, and that he might have been stretching it with the Statute of Secrecy. He was using magic in front of muggles. Harry had just stopped caring for that; there was an apocalypse. The ministry could spare the manpower themselves to wipe them if they felt that it would be necessary. He wouldn't, nobody would notice, especially not with the natural charm that was his sister.

The man just nodded.

"Lookie what I found!" Merle emerged from the pantry with a smile. "Wine Daryl, actual wine!"

"Ain't got anything stronger?" His brother who now had showered and smelled a little less like hunting prey, sniffed the air, and accepted the plates Luna pushed in his and Glenn's hands. Merle shook his head.

"Naw, nothin'. Sugar, would you mind?" He held the bottles to Carol, who took them from him without question. Something Merle did not seem to like, Harry deduced. That was good, he did not want to talk down on the giant, if he did not need to. He recognized those signs that Carol showed all too well. He would never question Petunia if he valued his health. Something rose in his throat, squelched in his stomach, and when he felt his magic starting to come out of his own bubble, the pasta bubbling angry, Luna intervened so that he could relax and retract all of his magic. He knew that his brothers had felt it, and he could already answer all the questions Draco would come up with.

"Set the table misters, if you would please." Luna sent her eternal smile towards Glenn and Daryl, which they obviously could not refuse. Lori had taken the wine from Carol, and although she still looked like she did not want them there, she had started to disperse the wine into the glasses that Dale had procured from another shelf.

§§§§§

Draco, Doctor Jenner, and Ron joined them just before Harry called that dinner was served. Ron threw him a look that told him: I know, but he signed that he would not push, instead he helped Harry with putting the pot roasts and pasta on the table like he had done it before, and Rick toasted on their survival and to new friendships. Jenner still looked like he had the jitters, Draco had a permanent frown on his elegant features, but gave Harry the sign that he would tell him later. Luna seemed the only one unaffected, seemed to be the keyword here.

Dinner was pleasant, mostly comfortable small talk for people who barely knew each other. Dale was trying to give Carl some wine, even though Lori did not totally agree with that. After Rick gave in, because Dale argued that they did that in France and Italy as well, the boy tasted it a bit, but spit it out immediately. Most of them were getting drunk; Glenn being a funny drunk, Shane an angry drunk, and Jacqui had finally relaxed. The witch and wizards were not as affected as the rest, only Elfen-made wine could do that to them. Draco had learned how to drink since he was young, so to him it was nothing more than butterbeer. They also were more vigilant than the others; they had learned that lesson way too young. Never let your guard down.

When dessert came around, two beautiful strawberry puddings that Harry had made, they started to get serious. Shane wanted to kick it off by offending the good doctor that had given them sanctuary, but Dale and Rick shushed him. Jenner did promise to tell them everything in the morning, although that did dampen the mood. The only topic left was the witch and wizards, although they did not know that fact.

"Hadrian, that is quite an old-fashioned name, isn't it?" Shane did get the upper hand here. He looked at the mysterious Brit, who was flanked on his left by Draco, and on his right by Ron. Luna sat next to Draco, eagerly conversing with Andrea about some random topic. Harry did not know if Andrea even followed, but it did seem to relax the grieving woman who had lost her sister, as Carol had told him during the preparation of dinner.

"It is, us Brits love that." Harry just smiled at the man. He had been the group's alpha, Harry could tell, but was no longer; that role seemed to befall the other police officer: Rick.

"You should hear his full name; it is even more ridiculous than mine!" Draco added, to take the heat off Harry, being the left hand and spokesperson, he was for Harry.

"Why is that?" Carl was the one to ask.

"Our parents were old lords and ladies, real ones! An old name fits that picture, it is more traditional than anything else. My full name, for example, is Draco Lucius Malfoy. Men usually have their father's first name as their middle name. Old practices."

"Wow, so like knights and stuff?" The little boy asked wondrously. Ron nodded mischievously, something that reminded Harry of George and Fred's antics.

"Something like that, yes. My father is also head of the family and my eldest brother must follow in his footsteps; have heirs, work political ways, well before an apocalypse off course, but still. The same goes for Hadrian and Draco, but not for me. I am the sixth son, so there is a lot more freedom there. No stuffy stuff for me." He grinned at the boy, who beamed.

"So that is why you have the sword? Like King Arthur?" The kid's eyes glistened in awe. Ron started laughing and nudged Draco who rolled his eyes at the man.

"You might never know, lad. If that would be true, then I vote Hadrian for a king, I'm more his squire." Ron smiled and winked at Carl. Harry groaned at that statement. Harry, who also thought about the quidditch match from all those years back where they had been chanting 'Weasley is King', looked quite defeated. This made Luna laugh and Draco snicker. They knew what he thought of.

"I want a sword too, that is so awesome! I saw you kill walkers with that, so badass!" The kid declared, but was cut off by his mother, who whimpered about safety, him not being a man yet, and that the men would defend them.

"If you can earn it, you may have it." Luna's eyes had misted over the second she said the words. Draco, who saw it first, had flicked his wand under the table, before Harry could have said 'quidditch'. The muggles would never notice. It didn't take her long, but Harry knew enough, so he guided the conversation in another direction.

"Don't mind Luna, she loves riddles. That was a bit of a tradition in her house at school. What are your plans after this?" He looked around the table, and while he did so he crossed his eyes with Jenner, hearing some surface thoughts without wanting to. He now understood what Draco wanted to talk about and he sighed. It would never go down the easy route.

"We were hoping to stay here." Rick answered. Jenner just gulped a big sip of wine, and Draco nodded at him.

"We can talk about that in the morning, I want to discuss some things with Doctor Jenner here." Draco elegantly laid his cutlery on his plate, signalling that he was finished, and Ron and he started to clean up immediately. If Harry cooked, they cleaned; that is how they were used to it. Carol stood up immediately, which made Merle and Dale follow. Jacqui helped with the dishes, while the rest slowly stood up to get to bed.

"I appreciate it Doctor Malfoy, as I said before; help yourself to our notes. Maybe they make more sense to you than for me. I believe it is time for bed for all of us." With those words from one doctor to another, the group completely dispersed, and they divided themselves over the rooms.

§§§§§

Merle had taken a room with Carol, Sophia, and Daryl. Daryl and he sharing a double bunk, so the women had their own space. Daryl had made some make-shift curtains from a few blankets he had found so they could have their own space. Sophia had been playing a few games with Carl before Carol brought her to bed. She was asleep in no time, while Carol sat silently on her bed contemplating.

"Ya alright lovie?" Merle sat opposite of her, only wearing a worn-out jeans. His new shirt and top that Carol had found him at the facility laying at the end of the bed. Quick and easy to grab in an emergency.

"Yes Merle, I'm fine. Thank you." Carol said meekly, softly smiling at him, while she caressed her daughter's hair. "Are you sure I'm no burden to you? I'm very grateful for helping me out, but with these situations, people tend to stick to family."

"You're my family now too, lovie. You and the little tyke over there. Ya ain't no bother." Merle waved his hand and pulled some blankets around him. "Get some sleep, will ya. Hadrian said he'd share stories in the morning, the man's trustworthy, I know that. Otherwise, I have ta tuck y'all in. Tell ya a story as I did with Daryl." He smirked and winked at her, before she laid herself next to her daughter, a feeling of safety starting to warm her up.

"Thank you, Merle for everything."

That was the last thing Merle heard before falling into a very deep slumber on the first bed he had felt in months. Daryl already passed out, and was snoring a little bit.

§§§§§

Harry stood to watch while Draco went through all the files, books, records, samples, and research he could get his hands on that night. With magic things went so much easier sometimes. Jenner had told him that the CDC would indeed incinerate itself when the timer would end, and that his warning to not use too much power, had not been a joke of some kind. Ron had already apparated in and out twice; those shutters would not keep them in. He was already on his third run, aided by Luna they had started in the pantry. Even taking pots and pans with them. Luna Park would need everything they could get their hands on. Only leaving as much as they needed for breakfast, knowing that would be the end of their stay. Ron took everything he could get his hands on, clothes, games, hospital beds, muggle weaponry and armour as Ezra had requested, books for Severus, and a variety of other supplies. If he could shrink it and stuff it in his bags, he did. They would figure it out later, with the help of Mila, Elenoir or Vicky.

"You were right Harry; the muggles are just as clueless. I read Jenner's mind earlier this evening, and he is possibly even more scared than we are. His wife however had connections to MACUSA, I found some correspondence through muggle channels. I'll try to write to them if I can, but don't expect too much."

"That's alright Draco. Do the basic rules still stand? Do not get bitten, scratched or ingest their blood?" Harry flipped through a folder that held the blueprints from the CDC. The blond nodded.

"Ron is almost finished. I put up some charms, so the muggles will not notice everything is gone in the morning. They will dissolve after we leave. I only packed the mattresses that could be useful, Ron found more beds on his other rounds, so that will not be necessary. What do you want to do with the muggles, Harry?"

"I still don't know. I would bring Daryl, Merle, Carol, and Sophia without a question, but we can't break that group apart without a good reason. I wanted to ask your opinion Luna." Harry looked at the woman that had just entered the room, ready to take all the essentials. They knew the building would explode when the timer hit zero; they just had to find a way to tell it to the rest. Harry would make sure Merle was ready to leave if necessary. Worst case scenario; he could apparate them out.

"Hmm, you are right about those four, that would work out perfectly. Although I don't feel like it would be breaking them apart. Those men are as vigilant as we are. Rick will cause trouble in any form be it because of his wife or his own mind I do not know. Shane has endured too much for his mind to be shattered, he should be grieving. If wrackspurts would be his only problem then I would not worry, but alas. Lori will be a problem; she can't stand it if someone else is in charge then Rick or Shane. Glenn is a good guy but has to find himself yet, Andrea is grieving the loss of her sister which shatters her thoughts. The rest I can't really say for now, they left no impression."

"How long do we have left?" Ron looked at the timer with narrowed eyes. In his head all the possibilities had started to run along, like a true chess master he was plotting every move, calculating his opponent, and seeing what was worth the risk.

"Up and about two to three hours. The rest will be woken by the computer in a few minutes, so that leaves us a whole hour to see how much power is left after that." Draco calculated from the timer that was visible from the office they were in.

"Battleplan Ron?" After Luna left, Harry momentarily dropped all his glamours and let his magic loose. Being around muggles had never been a problem for Harry, but the fact that he had to hide his magic, that was very straining. Harry threw his head softly in his neck and sighed. He rolled his shoulders, let the Elder Wand drop in his hand and then he felt it all. The good, the bad, but probably even more the ugly. Death-magic was weird, just like Death itself. It was sentient, it flowed through him but could affect anybody wrongly if he did not watch himself carefully. He knew Ron and Draco would feel a bit uncomfortable if he let out like this completely, but they had never said anything about it. They knew he needed it right now, otherwise it would come out at a moment when it would not be controlled so easily.

After a few minutes he inhaled again, retracted his magic, and threw the barriers and charms back in their place. The necklace Luna made for him worked as an anchor point.

"Whenever you are ready mate, I think we should alert at least Merle and Rick. Let them hash it out." Ron let his wand fall back into his arm holster, still the Auror-grade he had while on the service. He always wore his spare in a boot holster, something he had felt comfortable with.

Draco nodded, but wove his wand in a few movements around their heads, before letting the holster eat the wand, as he called it.

"I have everything I need. It is for the best that this facility does incinerate, just not with people in them."

"Agreed." They chorused.

§§§§§

If Hadrian had not told him himself, Merle would not have believed it. Merle was looking astonished at the crazy doctor who had just told them that he would let them blow up with the whole building, because that would be the easy way out. Daryl and Merle had packed up the way Hadrian told him when he came around that morning, not leaving anything they wanted behind and bringing their stuff with them. Daryl had commented that the place felt empty, Merle just had not known what to answer.

Hadrian stood as a real leader in front of Jenner; his eyes were slitted, a frown marred his face, and he stood ready to fight or flee, yet he let Rick do the talking. As if he wanted to wait and not take the lead which surprised Merle. Hadrian and his crew were not openly carrying weapons, unlike Shane who had found an emergency axe, but the raven-haired male looked more dangerous than anyone else in the room at that moment. Rick was trying to talk some sense into the man, the blondie from Hadrian's team had cussed at Lori and was doing a pretty good job at winning the stare-off with her like a true ice queen or king, in his case.

Rick talked to the Doctor of hope, and a place for the young children, and offered to take him along, but to no avail. Doctor Jenner did open the doors so they could get to the main hall, he would open one part of the shutters, but that was all he could do. With one last look at the picture of his wife, the man sat down on a chair and offered them a last chance for a way out. He wished them the best of luck and hoped they would find their place. Merle practically janked at Carol's hand, to get her to move, Daryl had picked the little girl up, and he made them move towards the stairs. They ran, not looking back, not bothering who would follow them. He heard Glenn behind him and a stern British voice behind that.

When they walked into the main hall, where they had met Jenner the day before, they noticed that even if the shutters were open, the doors would not open. Shane threw the axe at the glass, but being military style crafted, that would not work. Merle could have told him that, but he figured that nobody would listen to him right now. He had worked at the military armoury and was very well acquainted with these materials. Merle felt the presence of Hadrian at his side, seeing those dark-green eyes burning with a passion, as if he were preparing for something. Merle did notice that all four of them were standing around Merle's newfound family like they were shielding them. There was a strange vibe around them, something Merle had only felt at his gran-gran's house, but it wasn't the same.

It was at the exact moment that Carol remembered the grenade she had taken out of Rick's clothing, and the sheriff was able to create a massive hole in the glass, that Hadrian softly let a breath loose and nodded towards the ginger man, all the while making some hand movements. Merle saw that Daryl caught that too. Were these British soldiers? Special forces? What were they?

The moment the glass shattered from the explosion that the hand grenade created, and fresh, warm air blew into their faces, the group realised they were free.

They were free.

Merle did not hesitate, knowing that the Brits could look out for themselves, he picked Carol up while Daryl threw Sophia over his shoulder and they ran for his truck. Merle gestured at Daryl to go behind the truck, to wait out the shockwave that the explosion of the building would give. He noticed that Hadrian and Ron were standing in front of the two blondes as they protected them. The group was standing in front of the cars and while Merle tried to yell, it seemed as if they could not hear them.

"Those Brits need to get back!" Daryl yelled. "Hadrian, get back before the shockwave hits you!"

The black male just turned around, looking surprised but smiling softly at Daryl. Then the building exploded. It was enormous, a full mushroom cloud left the building and then there was nothing for a few seconds. No sound, no feeling, just emptiness. Then the heat crept up, washing over them like a sauna. Hot, smouldering air. Merle's arm hairs stood straight, and he felt a chilly tingle passing over his body. The Brits were still standing, as if nothing had happened.