The next morning found all of them sitting closely packed around the dining room table. Harry was exceedingly glad that the dining room was so large so there was room to keep enlarging the table.
If many more people from their world showed up they'd no longer be able to all sit together.
Hangover cures had already been passed around and Fleur was cooking breakfast as the other sixteen of their hodgepodge family were nursing coffee. The mood was somber and everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.
Breakfast was finished in short order, magic speeding things up nicely, and the egg, sausage, hash brown, cheese, peppers, and mushroom casseroles the french veela had made a few times previously were levitated to the table for everyone to serve themselves plenty.
"I know last night was hard on all of us. Especially those of us who knew and were close to Angelina.." Harry began once everyone had a plate in front of them. "But that doesn't mean we can stop. We carry on. She would want that of us."
"Yes she would." Katie said quietly, pushing her food around her plate before straightening up and taking a large bite. It was as if she was forcing herself to swallow her grief. Forcing herself to bear the weight of loss.
It was something they all had experience in. The war had been horrific and they'd all lost people. They'd all been forced to learn to carry on despite the pain of losing someone. Much like during the war, they couldn't afford to break down now. They had to keep going. They could mourn, they could be sad, but losing themselves to their grief was not an option if they wanted to survive.
"She would have our collective hides if we stopped and let ourselves fall apart over losing her." Alicia said, her own resolve firming as she spoke.
"Angelina Johnson was a force to be reckoned with." George said, the small smile on his face looking a little forced.
"That she was." agreed Harry.
"I always hated playing against her." said Draco, getting a grunt of agreement from Blaise before he too spoke. "She was fierce as hell and refused to back down."
"She really was." said Katie. "She'd want us to push on. Remember her but survive and thrive ourselves."
"So that's what we do." Harry said. "We mourned last night. We continue to mourn but we still do what needs doing. We honor her by surviving. We live and carry her with us in our hearts and minds." He took a bite of his own breakfast as he thought over everything. "The biome trunks need handling first. We do that. Hermione, continue your research, that's a priority with so many new additions. The rest of us, once the animals, creatures, crops, and greenhouses are handled we train. Katie and Alicia, you'll join us. As you both are athletes you shouldn't have all that much trouble." He went on to explain what kind of training they would be doing to the girls.
Once breakfast was finished and the little bit that was left over added to the compost barrel the biome trunks were where the attention went to. It took them two hours to get through everything with sixteen of them working together. They were ever so thankful for magic, otherwise it would have been an all day task to manage so many animals and crops.
They'd, in the last couple of days handling the crop thieving, they'd hit vineyards, orchards, and various other fruit and vegetable farms and plantations all over the country. It meant that there were two more trunks for poor Neville to have charge of. They were now up to five, one each for fruit trees, fruit plants, vegetables, tropical fruit both plant and tree, and magical greenhouses. Added to the four that held the magical creatures, cattle, chickens, and various other muggle animals. This was a total of nine trunks that needed daily handling. It was a good thing that there were so many of them and with the aid of magic, things were done relatively quickly.
It had even been proposed, and by proposed that mean requested and almost outright begging, by Luna that once the events of the fall are set into motion they hit other places for animals to protect and preserve. Their blonde Seer was an avid animal lover and wanted to protect all that she could. So she'd asked that once the chaos truly sets in they go to muggle zoos, which she'd read about in a book once, and take all the animals they could from there. That particular discussion had been shelved for the time being.
After everything was seen to, everyone but Hermione headed outside to get started on training. They'd considered creating another biome trunk to use specifically for training purposes but decided against it at this point. Luna told them that they would be getting two muggles in their little quarry today and they needed to be outside when they showed up.
It was pointed out that maybe being seen by these two new muggles while training would send the wrong message and they would be scared off. This was quickly shot down by Luna, she assured them that it would have the opposite effect.
Harry, personally, was of the opinion that whoever these newcomers were, better them realize from the beginning that his people were not to be crossed. It would be better for these unknowns to know that they were capable, down to the last person, of defending themselves violently and with lethal efficiency if need be.
Even Victore, or Tori as they'd talked to calling her, was getting training. Though hers was lighter work and more focused on evasion, she was still getting training. She was fairly handy with a bow which surprised most of the group. They'd already gotten her wand, thankfully, as she was supposed to be starting Hogwarts this year, and they had plans to begin her magical education soon. Hermione was insistent that she be taught basic muggle subjects as well.
He didn't voice this thought, simply shared a look with Draco and Blaise, both were of the same opinion and he knew they would be more than willing to have a show of force to dissuade any issues.
It was nearing noon and they had been outside in the sweltering Georgia heat for hours. Blaise and surprisingly Dean who was a muggleborn and therefore grew up doing martial arts, were putting Alicia and Katie through their paces, pushing them hard and making them fight harder to learn. They had a fully qualified healer in Draco and the magic of sixteen adult witches and wizards, training injuries were easily handled and therefore not a concern. The girls were learning fast and were holding their own, able to take a hit or take a fall and roll with it. They were light on their feet, agile and able to strike fast.
While the new additions were being given one on one training, the others were working on weapons training. They all trained with knives, bows, and various guns, though most of them preferred one over the other.
It would have shocked anyone from their old life to learn that it was actually Draco Malfoy, former elitist pureblood, who was one of the best with sniper rifles. They joked that it was all those years as a seeker. The ability to see that tiny gold ball at great distances made him adept at long-range aim.
He was joined in that skill by Hermione, Luna, Blaise, Bill, and surprisingly Draco was second only to Neville. The latter's skill would have been just as much of a surprise to others outside of their group as Draco's. Neville, who had once been thought to be the least courageous of all the Lions had the steadiest hands with a rifle. He was calm, patient, and quick to follow through.
Harry had noticed that they all tended to dress similarly, though definitely not intentionally it seemed that most of them had foregone fashion and settled on practicality. Cargo pants with plenty of pockets, tee-shirts or tank tops, and combat boots seemed to be the unofficial uniform of this camp. Most of them had hats or bandanas to protect them from the sun, as well as sunglasses. Though at the moment most of the hats and sunglasses were tossed aside as they trained, not wanting to risk them being broken or used against them in some way.
They each had a knife and a handgun strapped to their hips. That's not to say they didn't have more than one firearm, but everyone had at least once strapped in a belt holster. Most of them also had one in a shoulder holster and Bill, Draco, Blaise, and Harry himself had another small one in an ankle holster.
He'd made a point of ensuring each of his people had them and had made it clear they were to be armed at all times. Even while training. The rule was that if you carried a gun, you trained with it strapped to you. It would have been easier to move during sparring without them but he felt, and most of them agreed, that it was better to learn to move with them. It would be bad if they weren't comfortable carrying them and couldn't move as smoothly because of the additions to their person and it slowed down their reaction times in a critical moment.
As he was overseeing his people in their training, calling out corrections or helping adjust stance, he felt it. His battle-honed senses could feel eyes on him. And he knew he wasn't the only one. He could see the wave of tension that swept over his family like a rolling wave. It wasn't something that would be obvious to strangers but he knew his people.
There was a tensing to their shoulders, faces taking on a mask of neutrality, eyes shuttering and closing off. Magic swelled in the clearing that Harry, being as sensitive to magic as he was due to the sheer raw power he possessed, felt and knew his people were bracing in case it wasn't the friendlies they'd been promised. He wasn't as surprised as he should have that even little Tori felt the tension running through the group. Her own untrained magic rising as if to defend her. She'd been born in a time of war, it wasn't a surprise that she instinctively could feel the change in the magicals around her.
On instinct, Harry defaulted to their signals during the war, a system of whistles he and Hermione had created to give orders or pass messages undetected, or at least without alerting the other side to their plans. He let out a quick trill, three short notes that told them all to continue. Another to tell them to act natural.
Each and every person here had learned what the different whistles meant. It had been an idea that Hermione had come up with when she'd read about the military using hand gestures. They learned those as well and taught the others for when absolute silence was required. But sometimes, a whistle was less conspicuous than waving one's hands about.
Harry began a slow trek, moving around the outer edge of the clearing as though he was observing the others in their training. He didn't speak for a moment or two before he let out another trill. It was as though it had been coordinated. All fighting stopped and everyone gathered their discarded hats and sunglasses.
He crossed his arms and surreptitiously pressed his palm against his mark, channeling his magic into it. As the others bade their way into their respective tents. Draco, Luna, Hermione, stayed behind, along with Bill who caught Harry's eyes and received a slight nod of agreement.
Once it was just the five of them in the clearing, Harry turned to face where he could sense the person or persons watching them. Luna stepped up to his left with Bill next to her. Draco took his right with Hermione standing next to him. After a second, he spoke loudly. "Come out where we can see you. I know you're there."
There was a bit of rustling before two tall, broad, rough looking men stepped out of the underbrush. The first was just slightly taller and a little more broad, carrying a shotgun. His hair was almost buzzed but looked to be brownish. The other had hair slightly darker and a little longer and carried a crossbow.
"Now what do we have here?" asked the first, the thick Georgia accent rolling out.
Harry looked over the two new people, taking in how they held their weapons loose and non-threateningly but still ready to use them if necessary. They looked comfortable with them and both had a slight air of violence around them that Harry knew he and the others all carried, barring Luna who perpetually looked like an ethereal elf or fairy that wasn't quite real.
Harry didn't even have to look to know that Hermione had a calculating look, Draco a cold mask of indifference, Luna blank and slightly curious, and Bill stern and serious. His own face remained impassive and eyes watchful. He could feel the others next to him radiating readiness to lash out if necessary though they all had a relaxed look to them.
"I could ask you the same." Harry spoke, looking from the first to the second man and back again. "What brings you here?"
"The world's gone crazy." The first man said, shouldering his rifle with a smirk. "Ain't you heard? People out there going batshit and eatin' one another."
"Oh we've heard." Harry informed, though he didn't elaborate. "Still doesn't answer the question. Or tell us who you are for that matter."
"We was heading to the refugee center they broadcast on the radio." the man said again, obviously realizing that playing nice was the better option. He'd seen the number of people here that had filed into the other two tents.
They'd watched for a while as the people in this camp trained. Seen the way they could fight furiously, even the women. He was sure he'd even seen a little blonde girl being trained how to fight. It was a surprise to see something like this, here in Georgia. It looked like they were some sort of militia or something until he'd heard a couple of them speak and heard the obvious British accent. They must know what's going on and have a better grasp on how to survive it than the average person.
The two brothers had shared a silent agreement that this was as safe as anywhere. Both were of the opinion that there was safety in numbers and they'd rather deal with people who could hold their own than a bunch of sheep that would scream and cry instead of doing what needed doing.
"I'm Merle Dixon." he continued before pointing to the second man over his shoulder. "This my brother Daryl." Looking over the five of them he raised an eyebrow. "And y'all?"
"I'm Harry Potter-Black. This is Luna Lovegood, Bill Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and Hermione Granger." he said, indicating each in turn.
"You're not from around here are you?" Merle said with a smirk.
"Obviously." Draco drawled and a rather impressive impression of their potion's professor.
"Why did you come here of all places if you were heading to a refugee center?" asked Hermione as she eyed the two men.
"We don't really get along with Uncle Sam." Merle said, getting only confused looks in return. "The government." he said with sneer and this brought looks and nods of understanding. Not just understanding the meaning of the words but it looked to the redneck that they had a deeper understanding, almost a commiseration. The next words from the apparent leader confirmed that.
"Indeed. Governments, by nature, tend to be about useless." Harry said with a nod.
"Figured we'd camp here at the quarry where there's clean water and ride this out." Merle said. He wasn't overly fond of explaining himself but he reminded himself that there were a lot more people in the tents and they all looked like they could handle themselves in a fight. Being his usual asshole self would get them absolutely nowhere, except maybe shot.
"That makes sense." said Bill with a nod.
"Mind if we set up here?" Merle asked though he looked as though it pained him. In truth, the eldest Dixon wasn't one to ask for permission for anything from anyone but again, he was outnumbered and it looked like outgunned. Maybe these foreigners would be useful to him and his brother if they made nice.
Harry shared a look with Luna. She'd told him that the first of their new family would arrive today and he was curious and more than a little incredulous that these were possibly who she meant.
They were both rough looking and Harry got the sense that they weren't the types to play well with others, even though the younger of the two hadn't said a single word.
Harry and Luna shared a silent conversation that consisted of raised eyebrows and microexpressions before he turned his attention back to the two men across from him. "Fine." he said with a nod. "Feel free to set yourselves up. Do you have a tent? We have spares if needed." Harry said after finally getting a non-verbal confirmation that the two were meant to be there with them from Luna. "You're welcome to set up alongside ours, safer to stick closer but if you'd prefer to set up farther away for privacy that's entirely up to you."
"Thanks." Merle said with a nod. "We have a tent of our own, it's back with our stuff. We'll go get everything and be back."
"Alright." Harry said with a nod. "You can meet the others then if you'd like."
"Sure." Merle said with a grunt. He wasn't a people person but he kept reminding himself that this was best. Safety in numbers. And for all his faults he didn't want his pride to cost his baby brother his life. He turned and nodded at his brother to follow him and they took off into the woods back to where they'd stashed the truck and motorcycle.
As soon as the Dixons were gone Harry turned on his heel and strode into the tent calling out "Table!" loud enough for everyone to hear him.
It only took a moment or two before everyone was crowded around the dining room table waiting for him to speak.
"The first of our new additions have arrived." he began. "Their names are Merle and Daryl Dixon. Luna is sure that they are meant to join us for the long-term. They look a bit rough and probably a bit dangerous but manageable. They're muggles so from now on no magic outside of the tents until we get to know them and can ease them into it. They'll be with us permanently, according to Luna, so they will know eventually but not at the moment."
"They will be an asset." Luna assured, looking around the table. "Give them a chance and they'll give us one. They're rough around the edges and will be wary and slightly suspicious at first, much like we are, but once loyalty is earned on both sides they will be as fierce as we all are in defence of our family."
Everyone nodded their understanding. "How are we going to handle dinner and such now?" asked Percy, ever the planner and logical one. "They will obviously get suspicious if they never see us eat."
"We'll make a fire outside and start cooking out there until we tell them about magic. Then once that's done, we can bring them in here and add them to our usual routine." Harry said.
"It's getting close to dinner time anyway. We should set up the fire and get dinner started. Seamus, as our resident pyrotechnics expert will you handle that?" Harry asked, shooting a teasing grin at the Irishman.
Snorts went around the table and Seamus just groaned. "I'm not that bad!" he defended.
"Mate, you blew up my pumpkins last week." Neville pointed out with a smirk.
"That was an accident!" Seamus maintained, as he had since it happened.
"Either way, the Dixons went to collect their things and will be back shortly. We need to set that up. Dean and Fleur, are you alright to handle dinner tonight?" Harry said, getting agreements.
"Alright. Let's get out there. They have their own tent and will be settling in. Just don't antagonize and Fred, George. They're not new targets and if you give them any of your products I'll have you on dung duty for a month." Harry said, staring the twins down knowing how tempting fresh targets for their pranks were.
Both twins painted innocent looks on their faces that absolutely no one bought. "We-" "Would-" they began before Bill cut them off.
"Absolutely start in on the new guys. You two are chaos incarnate." the eldest Weasley said, though they seemed to take this as a compliment instead of the mild rebuke that it was.
"Alright, let's get out there. We'll just have a relaxed… sort of, evening. Get to know the new people. We've trained all day and need to rest and recoup anyway. Especially Katie and Alicia. I'm sure you have cramping in muscles you didn't even know you had." Harry said the last with a little good-natured teasing before standing and heading into the storage room.
Once there he pulled out a cooler and used magic to create ice cubes he remembered aunt Petunia used before levitating it into the kitchen where the food was stored. Rooting around he found several cases of soft drinks and muggle beer which were transferred into the cooler. Before leaving the tent, he cast a feather-light charm on the cooler and canceled the levitation, carrying it out himself and settling it down near one of the logs that had been pulled up around the fire by one of the others while he'd been occupied with ice and drinks.
He couldn't help but be amused as he watched everyone sprawled out around the open space between the tents and the firepit Seamus was working on. For the first time in a while they all seemed to be relaxed and in high spirits. Maybe they should do this more. They'd spent so long, every moment since Luna had revealed what was to come, preparing, scavenging, stealing, shopping, and training. They were all a little burnt out. Maybe downtime would be good for them all. As long as they were vigilant while relaxing, Harry couldn't find fault. They couldn't train all the time.
It wasn't more than a couple of hours before the Dixons returned, Merle in the lead on his motorcycle followed by Daryl in his truck. They pulled up behind the van that Harry had been reminded to finally unshrink this morning, though the second RV, other cars and vans, and the cube van were kept shrunk and in their assigned bags for the time being.
While they'd been waiting on the Dixons and simply relaxing with cooling charms, Percy, ever the prepared one, had reminded Harry about the pull-behind trailers and they had been unshrunk, one attached to the van and one to the RV, and filled with supplies so that no questions were asked about where things came from. Though to be fair, what was transferred into those trailers didn't even make a dent in the supplies they had stockpiled. For which all of them were grateful.
Fleur and Dean were just getting started on the pasta as the two rednecks parked and left their respective rides.
"Need any help?" Bill called over to them, getting a negative in response.
Merle and Daryl were quick to unload and set up their tent, which was big enough for the two of them to share, and their sleeping bags and belongings. Less than an hour after arriving, right as the food was done, they made their way over to the gathering around the fire.
Both Dixons were surprised, though they shouldn't have been considering they'd seen them training a couple of hours ago, at the sheer number of people lounging around in folding chairs and sitting on logs.
Merle being Merle noticed several people in the group weren't white and had to bite back a racist comment that he was fairly sure would earn him a bullet somewhere in his body.
"Feel free to join us." said Harry, resting back in his camping chair, a find in one of the hunting and sporting good stores they'd raided. "Dinner will be done soon, there's plenty."
"Thanks." came the twin grunts from the two men as they claimed free chairs for themselves. Introductions were quickly made, everyone holding up a hand and waving from where they were currently sitting, sprawled, or laying.
Both were silent for a few moments, just watching how everyone interacted and the comfort they seemed to have with one another.
Luna was laying with her head in Hermione's lap as she sat on the ground leaning back against Harry's legs, both reading separate books.
Draco, the once polished Ice Prince of Slytherin was sprawled with his legs thrown over the arm of his own chair, his feet in Neville's lap in the neighboring chair, both discussing something about plants that neither of the brothers understood. Blaise sat on the ground in front of the blonde man, his head resting back against Draco's side with his eyes closed almost looking to be sleeping.
Katie was leaning back against a log, on which the twins sat reading what appeared to be a comic book (something Dean had grabbed in several stores insisting they were necessary), tossing a ball back and forth with Alicia who was leaning back against Seamus's legs as he read a comic book of his own..
Bill sat in a chair carving something out of a hunk of wood with a small knife with Victore sitting on the ground between his feet reading a book. Viktor was deep in conversation with Percy, both sitting on a log.
Fleur was working with Dean at the fire, finishing up what looked to be dinner.
"So how did a bunch of Brits end up in Georgia as the world was going to shit?" Merle finally asked as plates were passed around, a heaping helping that he noticed that his and his brothers were the same as everyone else's. They weren't skimped on because they were basically strangers.
"We're not all British." pointed out Luna in her ethereal voice, the Irish accent clear, as she finally sat up to accept her own plate. "And vacation."
"Makes sense." grunted Merle. "You all seem pretty cozy, like you're close."
"We are." came several voices, though neither Dixon was sure who'd answered.
"We all went to school together, or most of us, at a boarding school in Scotland." Harry said, picking up the explanations. "At our school we were sorted into houses. or basically dormitories, and each house was separated by year. The houses were Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Neville, Dean, Seamus, Hermione and I were all Gryffindors in the same year, though Mione was in the girl's dormitory. Draco and Blaise were in our year too, but were in Slytherin. Katie was a Gryffindor a year ahead of us." He said, indicating those that had been in his year. "Fred and George were Gryffidors two years ahead of us with Alicia. Luna was a Ravenclaw a year behind us. Percy is the twins' older brother and he was two years ahead of them. Bill is their eldest brother and is five years older than Percy. Fleur is Bill's wife and Victore, or Tori as we call her, is their daughter. Fleur is French and Viktor is Bulgarian are both three years older than myself and those of my year. We met them during an exchange program where they, along with delegations from their schools, spent a year at our school and we stayed close, Fleur later marrying Bill when she moved back to England for work."
It was a lot to process for the Dixons but they kept up. They weren't as slow or stupid as people assumed and Merle, for one, appreciated that these new people seemed to assume they could keep up.
"Sounds like a fancy school." was Merle's only response. And it did, the way this school sounded it was like some stuffy private school for rich kids.
Several of the foreign magicals snorted, causing the Dixons to share a confused look.
"It was a bloody nightmare." muttered Draco.
"Too right." groaned Harry, thinking over all the shit that had happened in his years at Hogwarts.
"For most of us, except Dean, Hermione, and obviously Fleur and Viktor, our parents had gone there and so we were enrolled at birth. It was sort of a tradition for most of us to attend." explained Neville.
"And it was a shitshow." uttered Fred, with George nodding his agreement.
That sounded odd to the Dixons. How bad could a private boarding school really be?
Seeing the doubtful looks on the brother's faces Hermione added her own opinion. "Some teachers were awful and downright negligent to the point of being a danger. Our government kept trying to interfere and cause problems at the school. And then there was the 'Harry Effect'."
"Oi!" the man in question said indignantly. "None of that was my fault."
"We know-" "-Little Brother." Fred and George said in their usual way, thoroughly confusing the Dixon brothers. "You're just-" "A magnet for trouble."
"You get used to them." Alicia assured Merle and Daryl as she saw their faces while the twins spoke in their usual back and forth. "Imagine what it was like when we couldn't tell them apart."
"You can tell 'em apart?" asked Merle incredulously.
At that moment George pipes up. "I'm saint-like!" Which received groans all around.
"What does that mean?" asked Merle, looking at the red-head like he was crazy.
With a grin, George turned his head and gave the Dixons their first look at his left ear. His missing left ear. "I'm holey!"
Daryl and Merle were stunned for a moment at the sight of the missing ear before they both snorted and shook their heads at the bad pun.
"That one's George." said Blaise.
Merle had to hold his tongue, having a fairly good idea that his usual racist remarks would end up with a busted face at best or a painful hole in his body at worst. He was an racist asshole but he was smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut.
They all sat around for a while longer, eating and chatting. The Dixons quickly learned that these people had stories, they'd been through some shit. It was plain to see in the way they held themselves. They way even though they seemed relaxed and at ease, every single one of them were aware of their surroundings. They all seemed to have a habit of scanning the area periodically, as though they were constantly on alert for anything that could be headed their way.
Once it was full dark, Harry let out a whistle to get everyone's attention from the small side conversations they had broken out into.
"Time to turn in." He said, speaking no louder than necessary. "Watch rotation starts with the twins tonight." This was received with minimal groaning except for Seamus. "I hate middle watch."
"We all do." said Draco in agreement though he didn't protest.
They were all just glad they had enough people now that they could double watches without having to extend watch times. Though once they added the Dixons to the rotation, if they did stick around, not that anyone doubted Luna, they would have enough people to evenly get eight hours each, for a total of nine watch hours. But at least they weren't alone and bored on watch.
They didn't have to worry about their own tents. With the wards, they were safe as houses. But the Dixons didn't have wards on their tent and wouldn't until they were told about magic. So the watch was more for them, and to keep in the habit. There was always the slim chance that an unknown magical would come across them and that could cause problems.
Merle and Daryl were surprised that they were setting watch and taking this whole situation as seriously as they were. It was one more reason that firmed Merle's resolve that getting in good with these people was a good idea.
Everyone was quick to gather everything up and head into the tent. The chairs were folded back up and put into the RV for the night. Once the muggles had left for their tent, the dishes were gathered up and taken into the main tent and charmed to wash and dry themselves before everyone went off to bed.
It had been two days since the arrival of the Dixons and they had fit in rather well with the larger group. The first day they simply watched as everyone trained, getting an idea of what they were doing, and paying more attention than they had the previous day when they'd come across them while scouting the area.
The second day they joined in, though in a more advisory capacity. Merle, who'd been in the Marines, gave pointers to Katie, Alicia, and Seamus who were working on throwing knives. After that, Harry had had both brothers spar with him to see where they were at. It had been a hard battle that had lasted longer than anyone expected. Merle had been surprised that the shorter, and much leaner, man had held his own so fiercely against him.
After that Harry had asked them to help train the others, explaining that he wanted his people as prepared as possible for what was to come. When Merle had asked why not just shoot the walkers in the head and be done with it, he was surprised with the response he got.
"One, they go off sound so hand to hand or with bows is best." Harry said. "And two, it's not the dead I'm worried about. When this gets worse, and trust me, it will. Rule of law will be gone and then… Well then it's the living that are the bigger threat. Humanity has always been the worst of animals, the biggest threat, but now… now the animals are off their leashes and ten times more dangerous. Some won't be able to cope with this new world and it will break them, twist them into something dark and twisted. Others were already that way and the world is just becoming their new playground where they're free to follow their whims and dark desires." With that Harry walked off to help with training, leaving behind a stunned Merle.
Daryl hadn't really said anything to anyone but he'd been watching, always watching. He noticed more than people realized. He heard more than people expected because for the most part he was so quiet he blended into the background.
However these people were more aware than any that the hunter had come across before. It was as though he was incapable of blending in as he had done all of his life. Every single one of them, barring the child, seemed to always know he was there, were hyper aware of their surroundings and it was almost like they didn't need to see him to sense him.
Which was true. They'd all grown up during a time of war for their people and their senses were highly honed. They could feel when someone was watching them.
Though it was often what you didn't say that was more telling than what you did.
Daryl noticed that most of them didn't really need words to communicate, much like he and his brother. Especially their leader, Harry. He seemed to know each and every one of his people so well that he could anticipate them, and they him. It was odd to see. They moved around each other easily and comfortably, as though it was a long-practiced dance, with the ease of life-long bonds.
He watched as Harry and Luna spent long periods of time staring at each other having conversations in minute shifts of eyes and tilts of heads. It was odd. Sometimes he swore they were reading each other's minds. He was unaware of the fact that that was entirely possible for them. Though only a handful of them were capable and well practiced in the mind arts. He'd seen the same thing happen between Harry and Hermione on many occasions as well.
It was late in their second day, they had finished training, had lunch, and were now lounging outside the tents when the peace of their little camp was broken. A shrill, wailing sound cut through the air startling them all. The magicals reacted instantly, wands falling into their hands without thought. This was magical, the wards had been tripped, someone else had appeared in the tent.
"Blaise! Wards!." called out Harry as he took off toward the tent with Blaise, Luna, and Draco on his heels. "The rest of you, shields!" was the last he shouted before he ducked into the tent.
Merle and Daryl had jumped to their feet with the others when the sound started but were shocked at the response. More so when they were none too subtly surrounded by their new acquaintances. Confusion was the prominent feeling as they watched their actions, which gave way to awe at what they saw next.
Fleur, Percy, and Katie began chanting in unison, erecting a Portego Totalum dome that gave a slightly blue shimmer to cover themselves, Merle, Daryl, and Tori, who was pressed tight against her mother's back.
The others spread themselves around and in front of the dome taking up defensive positions.
Merle and Daryl quickly realized that they were being lumped in with the child and being protected and neither were pleased with this. However neither understood where the dome came from and were both confused and annoyed.
It had been discussed the night that the girls arrived that all further arrivals were to be treated with extreme caution and defensive protocols. Katie and Angelina were asked security questions after the funeral by Harry, having realized he'd been lax in that. They understood his reasoning, especially knowing that Lee had a portkey and that Polyjuice potion was a dangerous possibility.
Inside the tent Blaise peeled off immediately to handle the wards, the other three surrounding the newcomer who was laying on their stomach as though they'd landed badly. They all had wands drawn and pointed, waiting for who looked to be a female to show their face.
With a groan, they pushed themselves up onto their knees, lifting their head to meet Harry's eyes. It was Hannah Abbott. She didn't even have time to move out of the way before another person was deposited on top of her. This brought groans and a yelp of pain from the two on the floor and winces from those watching.
Blaise was highly annoyed as the second arrival set off the wards he had just finished resetting. This did not ease the tension of those outside the tent in the slightest. He muttered a curse before resetting the wards a second time.
As the two on the floor untangled themselves, the second arrival turned out to be Oliver Wood of all people.
Everyone was surprised to see both turning up at the same time, Harry wasn't even sure they knew each other.
"What did you say about the twins in our first training session?" Harry asked, his wand trained on Oliver first.
"That they were human bludgers themselves." was the reply in a painfully thick Scottish accent.
Without missing a beat Draco shot a security question at Hannah. "What did you say to me when we graduated healer training together?"
"That Harry finally had two personal healers and that might not even be enough to keep him alive with how much trouble seems to find him." Hannah answered with a small laugh at the disgruntled look on said Gryffindor's face.
"I'm not that bad!" He said with a grimace. Though honestly he couldn't blame them after everything that had happened and all the times he'd ended up in the hospital wing.
"I swear if there are any more arrivals I'm not bothering with the wards until it's time to sleep." huffed Blaise as he finished and turned to the room.
Harry simply snorted and shook his head. "Alright you lot, let's get out there and let the others know what's going on and then explanations are in order all around I think."
Leaving the tent, he wasn't surprised in the slightest with the sight that met him. However Harry couldn't restrain a small grin at the disgruntled look on Dixon's faces at being so obviously viewed as the weakest links.
"Stand down." Harry said, immediately seeing his people back down, though they didn't put away their wands. Constant Vigilance, as Moody said, had been figuratively and literally beaten into them. He was proud that they didn't take chances. It wasn't until he trilled a quiet whistle, something only their people knew, that signaled all was well that they all put away their wands. Those that had been maintaining the barrier letting it fall.
"Who was it?" asked Hermione, dropping down onto a log.
"Hannah and Oliver." Harry said as the two in question exited the tent followed by those who'd followed Harry. He returned to his own seat, watching as everyone followed suit. Hannah and Oliver as well taking empty spots, the former sitting on a log next to Neville and Oliver dropping onto the ground next to Alicia.
"We're glad to see you two." Harry said, leaning back and getting comfortable. "Though to be honest I'm surprised you turned up together."
"We've been hiding at my flat in Diagon." said Hannah. "I saw Oliver in the Alley almost get swarmed and got him out. We've been hiding there hoping the Ministry would do something but it has completely fallen. We ran out of supplies two days ago and decided today we needed to get out."
"Neither of us wanted to just abandon the other since we'd been surviving together for about a week." Oliver took over. "But neither realized the other had been sent a portkey." He couldn't help the sheepish grin he gave at admitting that. "When we finally talked about it we both felt a little stupid. We packed and shrank everything we had left and activated them."
"How long has it been since you've eaten?" asked Fleur in concern.
"About two days ago when we finished the last of the tins." admitted Hannah.
"We just finished lunch and have plenty left for you two. Here." the French veela said, moving toward the firepit where a pot of more pasta was sitting. She was quick to make up two bowls and pass them to the two newcomers.
Harry, knowing that magic was out of the bag now and honestly quite shocked that Merle and Daryl hadn't demanded answers yet, or pulled weapons to be quite truthful, pulled out his wand and flicked it in the direction of the tent. "Accio butterbeer cooler." he said.
It wasn't longer than a handful of seconds before the cooler came floating out of the tent. Harry was quick to cast stopping and levitation charms in rapid succession to easily keep himself from being smashed in the face with the thing. He levitated it down next to himself and opened it. He levitated bottles to everyone, even the Dixons, who were in shock at the open display of magic, something they'd never experienced before.
"What the fuck?!" yelped Merle, snapping out of it as the bottle came at him and hovered in front of his face.
"Magic." said Luna in amusement.
"Magic ain't real." said Daryl, speaking for the first time in any of the witches' or wizards' hearing.
"Hate to disappoint." Harry said with a smirk. "But magic is very very real. Though we normally keep to ourselves and keep our magic and our world hidden from muggles, which is to say non-magicals."
"I think here in America they call them no-majs." commented Hermione as he nursed his own drink.
"They do." agreed Percy.
"What the fuck." said Merle again, finally taking the bottle after waving his hand all around it looking for wires. "How… What…" he stammered.
"As we said. Magic." Harry said. "I know it's hard to believe. It was a shock to me when I first learned about magic." Hermione and Dean nodded their agreement.
Merle still seemed a little stunned so Daryl, who had recovered faster spoke. "All of you can do magic?"
"Yes. all of us." Harry answered.
"So you're all witches?" asked Merle, finally getting over himself.
"No, only females are witches. Males are wizards." explained Harry.
"Can anyone learn to do magic?" asked Daryl curiously.
"No, you have to be born with the ability. And before you ask, no, we're not evil. No, the devil has nothing to do with magic. Nor does God for that matter. It's something that is a part of us. We are born with it. Our magic flows through our very blood and down to the last cell and molecule of our body." Harry explained.
"Then where does it come from?" asked Merle.
"No one knows where magic came from originally. It is theorized that it evolved the same as humans or any other creature or animal. But magicals get their magic from their parents because it's genetic." Hermione said.
"How have we never heard of this before?" the eldest Dixon asked.
"We keep to ourselves. We have our own towns, schools, hospitals, shops, and governments for each country. We even have a magical equivalent of your United Nations. Anything you have in the muggle world, we have in the magical world." explained Harry. "Muggles have a tendency to hate or fear what they don't understand or don't have. Because of the witch trials we went into hiding. Several decades ago there was even a Second Salem movement where a small group of muggles tried to start up the witch hunts again. So we keep to ourselves and keep any evidence of ourselves and magic hidden."
"Schools? You mean that fancy school you all went to was a magic school?" asked Merle.
"Yes. All of us here, with the exception of Fleur and Viktor, went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Fleur is French so she went to Beauxbatons Academy. Viktor is Bulgarian and went to Durmstrang Institute."
"Is there a school for magic in America?" asked Daryl.
"Yes, Ilvermorny. There are eleven large schools which are boarding schools, like the ones we all went to. But there are also many smaller local ones throughout the world."
"Wow." said Merle. He was genuinely surprised that there were enough magical people that there were so many schools.
Hannah and Oliver were a little surprised that there were muggles with their friends but considering it was Harry it wasn't all that shocking. Very little would surprise them where he was involved. They had learned long ago that when it came to Harry it was just best to roll with things.
"How do you know those two?" Daryl asked, pointing at the new people.
"Oh, let me introduce Hannah Abbott, she was in our year at Hogwarts but was in Hufflepuff. And this is Oliver Wood, he was a Gryffindor in Percy's year." Harry made introductions. "Oliver, Katie, Alicia, Fred, George, and I were all on the Gryffindor house quidditch team together. So was Dean after Alicia and Katie graduated."
"What's that?" asked Merle.
"Wizarding sport. Played up in the air on broomsticks." answered Bill.
"You ride brooms?" was asked incredulously by both Dixons almost simultaneously.
"Yes." answered several people.
"How many of you played this game?" asked Merle.
At that, Harry, Oliver, the twins, Katie, Alicia, Draco, Blaise, Bill, Fleur, Dean, and Viktor raised their hands.
"I played professionally after graduation for Puddlemere United. Katie played for the Hollyhead Harpies and Alicia played for the Tutshill Tornados." said Oliver.
"I played at school and professionally." stated Viktor.
"That one's being modest. He played professionally while still in school. He was even on the Bulgarian team in the World Cup in his last year at Durmstrang." said Oliver with a grin.
"Harry was scouted by just about every team in the country and some internationally." pointed out Neville with a smirk from behind his own bottle of butterbeer.
The man in question sank further into his chair. "Yes well, while I love the game I didn't want to play it for a living."
"You were the youngest seeker in a century Harry!" exclaimed Oliver, his quidditch obsession shining through. "I know for a fact that scouts started hounding you in your fourth year after you flew during the tournament. They wanted you to play for England! You would have been the youngest professional player ever if you had signed up in your fourth year. And I know for a fact Puddlemere sent you yet another offer six months ago. You're still being scouted."
Merle and Daryl weren't sure what this game was but that definitely sounded impressive.
"What is it exactly? You said it was in the air but not how you play." said Merle.
Before Oliver could get started on an overly long-winded explanation that the Dixons were sure to not understand, Dean cut in. "It's basically basketball and your american baseball combined. Played in a hockey sized pitch, a hundred feet in the air."
Oliver wasn't to be stopped and launched into his rant. "There are seven players per team; three chasers, a keeper, two beaters, and a seeker. There are three balls. The quaffle which the three chasers pass back and forth and shoot to score, each goal is worth ten points. The keeper tries to guard the three goal posts and catch the quaffle. Bludgers which fly around on their own and try to knock players off their brooms. The beaters use wooden clubs to hit them towards the opposing team. And the hardest ball to manage is the snitch. It's a tiny golden ball, about the size of a golf ball, with wings. It flies around and hides. It's fast as hell and bloody difficult to see, let alone catch. It's the seeker's job to find and catch it. A match lasts until the seeker catches the snitch, which is worth 150 points."
Daryl and Merle shared a look. It sounded overly complicated but they got the gist. "Basketball meets baseball, got it." Merle said, causing a sour look to cross the former keeper's face, much to the amusement of all of the magicals.
That was how the rest of the day went, explaining magic and answering the Dixons' questions. They were both curious and it surprised everyone, especially Merle, when Daryl spoke more than he had in days, asking questions of his own.
Merle and Daryl were both a little wary of magic and what it could do but they quickly realized that it could be amazing. As they watched the casual use of magic and things were explained, like healing and potions, they came to the conclusion that magic was the best chance of survival for them. It made their decision to stick with these foreign magic people seem like the best one they'd ever made.
The next day Harry stood staring out over the edge of the quarry, his mind wandering to the conversation he'd had with his blonde sister late last night. Luna had told him it would be several more days yet before any others arrived at the quarry but that they would be here soon and things would change for a time. That it wouldn't be as easy to bring them into the fold as it had with the Dixons.
He'd grimaced at this, not sure how he felt about the impending arrival. She had explained what she'd seen, that some of them would be integrated into their family. Others would be lost, leave, or simply not fit. She hadn't been able to be exact, but he'd gotten the gist.
Luna's abilities were difficult to understand for those that didn't know her well, and even those of their little family struggled at times. At times she saw everything. Every event to come and every possible path and outcome, how decisions would affect things and how to navigate through them. At other times she saw flashes, or simply just KNEW with no real way to explain what or how she knew. And sometimes it was a little bit of both.
She wasn't perfect. She wasn't infallible. She didn't actually know everything, even though they joked that she did. Her ability was fluid, flowing and free. She either saw everything or only vague images and impressions. Though it could be assured that what she did see, what she did know, was not to be questioned. If she saw it then that was that. When she spoke or gave counsel it was set in stone.
These new people had potential and even Luna wasn't sure exactly how many would be joining them. She knew there would be a large group descending on them and that some would not be fit to stay with them. Some would cause problems and strife. It would be a storm that they must weather to get the missing members of their family. And weather it they would, whether they liked it or not.
Later in the day, once training had finished and they were all sitting around the camp relaxing their sore muscles, Draco made an observation.
"Now that Merle and Daryl know about magic, why in Merlin's name are we out here sweating to death when we could be comfortable in the tent?" he asked, fanning himself with the book he had been reading.
"I dunno." said Neville with a shrug.
"I vote we move!" called out Katie from where she was laying next to Alicia who seconded that notion.
"Agreed." said Harry.
At his word, everyone seemed to come alive, clambering to their feet and trooping into the tent where there were temperature control charms to keep them cool and comfortable.
Merle and Daryl watched as all Harry, Hermione, and Luna remained outside. "How is everyone fitting in there anyway?" the eldest asked.
"Magic." came the standard response, causing Merle to roll his eyes.
Harry didn't even bother putting up the chairs as he started making his own way into the tent with the others following him. "Wizards' space, Merle. We have expansion charms that can increase the space in an area on a massive scale." he finished, ducking into the tent himself. He paused on the threshold for a moment before looking back at the brothers. "Give me a moment." turning his head he called into the tent for Blaise to open the wards to allow the brothers entry.
He looked back at them as he waited for the Italian's acknowledgement that it was done. "He has to alter the wards to allow you entry. Otherwise you'll be badly injured, knocked unconscious, and possibly killed for trying to enter."
"How's that?" Merle asked, not liking the idea of some sort of magic attacking him.
"Witches and Wizards protect their homes with wards. Basically invisible barriers that protect the home and anyone in it. Some wards just deny access but there are some darker wards that lash out at any who dares try to force their way in. The wards we have up are more than just a little darker. They're bloody vicious." Harry explained. "Everyone here, us magicals that is, are linked to the wards. They're woven into the very fabric of the tents. We have blood wards up, which are a little self-explanatory. Wards that are linked to our blood. Only those linked to the wards can enter while active. Anyone not us or of our blood, such as Tori for instance as she's Bill and Fleur's child, will find themselves at the mercy of the wards which is nasty at best, deadly at worst."
The Dixons paused outside and shared a look. That sounded a little extreme. What had these people been through that they had employed such extremes for their defence. They understood the concept of wards and defensive measures, but things that actively caused harm to those who crossed them. That was a whole other matter and spoke of a kind of paranoia that went beyond what was happening in the world currently. This wasn't new, this was some long-harbored damage that made them this way. It was just one more piece of the puzzle that was Harry Potter-Black and his people.
They were under no illusions that these were in fact Harry's people. He was the leader. That was made abundantly clear as they watched how everyone moved or interacted. It was Harry everyone looked to for orders. It was Harry who gave those orders. It was Harry who knew his people so well and delegated everything to those best to handle things. It was Harry who ran everything like a well oiled machine.
It took a couple of moments before Blaise's voice was heard through the flap Harry was holding open that the wards were deactivated for them. "We'll need to add the two of you to the wards or at least give you a way to get past them." Harry said as he waved them in, ducking into the tent himself.
The brothers shared another wary look, not sure if they trusted risking being maimed by setting foot into the tent. Eventually their combined curiosity and Merle's inability to back down from anything got the better of them and one after another they stepped into the tent.
Both froze as they saw the inside. It didn't look like any tent they'd ever seen. It was like a home unto itself. It was like they'd walked into a house. They stood in a cozy den with chairs and couches and piles of pillows everywhere. There were even a few what looked to be very odd looking cats wandering around.
"What…" Merle started but trailed off in shock.
"Welcome to the magical world." Said Harry with an amused grin before dropping himself down into an overstuffed armchair
"This is…" Merle couldn't seem to make words work for him as he took everything in.
Finally after a long moment of both brothers looking around in stunned awe, Harry told them to take a sweat and make themselves comfortable.
"Bill, do you or Blaise know how long it'll be before those things we talked about are finished?" Harry asked.
"We were planning on finishing on them today hopefully." Bill called from where he was sitting with Blaise at a table in the corner, both of them with books and notes spread in front of them.
"Alright, thanks. Just let me know." Harry said, making himself more comfortable.
The brothers finally brought themselves out of their shock and moved over to take chairs opposite the one Harry had claimed. As they made themselves comfortable they realized that they were indeed a lot more comfortable in here than outside. It was as though they'd somehow made an air conditioned tent.
"I'm startin' to think your magic is awesome." grunted Merle as he continued taking in his new surroundings. A grunt of agreement came from his brother next to him.
This brought a cheeky grin to Harry's face. "I get it." he said with a nod, summoning a muggle soda, offering one to the brothers which they accepted. "I grew up not knowing about magic so it was an adjustment when I got my invitation to Hogwarts. It was this whole other world. I can only imagine how it is for you guys but I have a decent idea."
"I thought you said you were signed up for your school when you were born?" asked Daryl quietly. He remembered it being said that only Dean, Hermione, Fluer, and Viktor hadn't been signed up for Hogwarts when they were born, but the French and Bulgarian had been for their own schools.
"I was, but I was muggle-raised." Harry explained. Seeing the confusion on their faces he let out a low sigh and dropped his head back against the chair trying to sort how to tell them about his upbringing without mentioning anything of real note. He just didn't feel like explaining it all.
"I was born to magical parents, Hermione and Dean weren't. Their parents were muggles so they weren't on the school list until they started showing accidental magic which all magical children do when they're little." Harry began, pausing to look over the room, meeting the eyes of several of his friends who knew how hard this was for him.
"To explain it properly you need to understand what blood status means in the Wizarding World. There are four groups of blood. First, you have purebloods. They are those with magical grandparents. The further back the magic goes, the more proud magicals are about it. There are families that can trace their magical lineage back as far as the time of Merlin. And yes, before you ask, Merlin was a real person but that's a conversation for another day." Harry said, with a grin knowing that was going to be the next question. "Draco, Blaise, Luna, Neville, Viktor, Hannah, and the Weasleys are all purebloods from long pureblooded families. They've only had magical ancestors for more generations than counting."
Harry stopped and met both of the Dixon's eyes making sure they were following along before continuing. "Then you have half-bloods, like me or Seamus. They are people who have one magical parent and one non-magical parent, like Seamus. His mum was a witch and his dad was a muggle, like you. Or they have one pureblood parent and one muggleborn parent. Like me, my mum was a muggleborn and my dad was a pureblood from an ancient house. I'll explain the ancient houses later. And that brings us to muggleborns. They are the ones that are magical but born to completely muggle parents who have no magic themselves. We're not sure where muggleborns actually come from but the standing theory is that they are actually the descendants of long-dead magical lines that married into the muggle world and the magic eventually died out and when they're born it's just the magic popping back up."
Getting a nod that they were following without prompting, Harry went on. "And that brings us to squibs. Not squids." He said seeing the look on Merle's face and remembering his own reaction to the word. "Squib." he enunciated. "They are people born without magic or at least not enough magic to use a wand and cast spells that have magical parents. It's considered the biggest shame in the wizarding world to have a squib child. Which is just horrible thinking but it is what it is. We gave up fixing the Wizarding World years ago."
At that last comment, a round of agreements, snorts, and "got that right" went around the room.
"Any questions so far?" Harry asked. He got nods and so pushed on.
"So even though I'm a half-blood, born in the magical world I was raised in the muggle world. My parents died when I was eighteen-months old and I was left in the custody of my mum's sister and her husband who were muggles. My aunt was extremely jealous of my mum because of her magic-"
At this point Draco cut in with a snort. "And because of her beauty. Lily Potter was astoundingly beautiful and your Aunt Petunia looked like a starved horse."
Harry couldn't help the snort that left him so he just nodded his agreement. "That too. Mum was beautiful, kind, powerful, and well-loved by anyone who met her. Petunia was as ugly inside as she was out and that jealousy bred resentment which passed on to me. She grew to hate magic because she didn't have any and the man she married was just as close-minded and awful. So they didn't tell me about my magic. Tried to pretend it didn't exist and anything that they considered out of the ordinary was absolutely forbidden in their home. Even television programs about magic weren't allowed. So I didn't know until my school letter came."
Merle and Daryl shared a look. They'd seen the dubious looks others in the room had shot the dark-haired man across from them. The flashes of anger on several faces as he spoke. They both got the idea that there was more to the story than he was saying. They were proved right when Draco, who they'd learned pulled no punches and was brutally honest and blunt, spoke again.
"Hated it so much that they told you that your parents died in a car crash so they didn't have to admit what really happened." the blonde sneered.
"Or living under the blood wards put there solely for your protection to save their own skins while continually spewing their bile about magic and you and our world. The hypocritical bastards." spat Hermione in tone so full of venom Daryl and Merle were sure if those people were in front of them the glare the woman was giving her book would have killed them alone.
They'd never heard the bookish woman speak so forcefully and it shocked them. It made them even more sure that there was more to Harry's childhood than he was saying. However, both of them knew that the past wasn't something to poke at, especially if it was as shitty as was being alluded to here.
"So what's that you mentioned about ancient houses?" Daryl asked to change the subject. He knew he didn't want anyone asking about his deadhead dad so he wasn't about to prod about Harry's family.
This prompted another long and complicated explanation, this time about the magical government and titled nobility in the magical world. Also, Draco helped to explain the finer details this time since he knew more about it.
"So that means you're Lord Potter?" Merle asked, blinking in the wake of so much information.
"Yup. Lord Potter-Black actually." Harry said with a nod.
"Where's the Black come from?" was the next question shot from the Dixon corner.
"My godfather, Sirius Black, named me his heir." Harry explained.
"He's the Lord of two houses, Lord Potter and Lord Black, so for ease, it's shortened to Potter-Black." Draco explained.
Merle saw the way Harry rolled his eyes and made a face at that. Seemed he wasn't overly thrilled to be nobility, which amused Merle. He decided to tease the man a little. "Well aren't we lucky, livin' with a real life Lord."
"You're living with four actually." Harry pointed out with another roll of his eyes, though the small amused smile could be seen.
"Four?" asked Daryl incredulously, looking around.
"There's me, obviously. Draco, Neville, and Blaise are Lords Malfoy, Longbottom, and Zabini respectively." Harry explained.
They weren't surprised at all to learn Draco was actually a Lord. He seemed like the type. And Blaise wasn't all that shocking. But Neville was the shock, though not as much as Harry. Neville was so gentle and usually quiet as far as they'd seen.
"Not that any of it really matters any more." Harry pointed out with a shrug. "The world is over, or very very near it. Nobility and titles don't matter these days and I highly doubt they will ever again." Harry said with another shrug.
"This is true." Draco said from where he'd sprawled out on the floor in front of Harry's chair. "Though it's really not all it's cracked up to be. I mean there's money, sure. But trust me, having money isn't all that great when you see what comes with it."
Merle and Daryl, who'd never had money, couldn't imagine there was anything wrong with it and honestly were more than a little miffed at Draco's statement. He'd never gone hungry or had lights or water cut off because his dad had drank away all their money and nothing was left for food or bills. "Yeah, the high life is so hard." Merle couldn't help but snark.
"It actually sort of is." Draco said, grinding his teeth and fighting the urge to snap at the muggle. "Expectations, pressure, demands, responsibilities and so much more. Yes, I had everything I ever needed or wanted except what mattered. My parents, who I thought were everything and emulated were horrible people who viewed me as a possession instead of a person. I was a trophy, the next Malfoy Heir. They didn't actually give a fuck about me beyond carrying on the family name and meeting the ridiculous standards and expectations they put in place. My father was a cold, cruel man that used torture as punishment. The first time I experienced the torture curse wasn't during the war, it was when I was twelve and had angered him. It became a regular occurance after that and my mother just stood behind him and listened to my screams."
With that, the blonde pulled himself off the floor and stormed off to his room leaving an absolutely stunned pair of Dixons and several annoyed magicals. Though Harry seemed to see past the snark and see that the Dixons just didn't understand that money wasn't necessarily a good thing and that they weren't the only ones who'd had shit thrown at them.
Silence reigned in the tent as Merle and Daryl processed what they'd heard. No one broke the tense quiet until Daryl finally asked a one word question that had every magical body in the tent stilling, the silence turning from slightly tense to downright suffocating and cold. "War?"
Looking into the deep blue eyes of the hunter, Harry had no idea how to answer that question and wasn't inclined to open up those wounds for someone he'd just met. Finally he settled on the most stilted answer he could possibly give.
"War." he said after several long moments. "The Second Wizarding War centered around blood purity and one evil wizard's quest for world domination. It ended ten years ago and for some of us it feels like yesterday. It was a very dark time for our people."
At that, the silence once more filled the space and no one dared say anything for a long time. They all knew that at some point the Dixons would learn about the war. But today was not that day.
No one spoke for over an hour as everyone finally thawed and went back to their own activities.
Merle and Daryl had a lot to think about. He'd let his natural resentment to those of the upper-class bleed through and it had opened a can of worms he hadn't been expecting. He had so many questions but his ability to read the room informed him that today was not the day to get any answers. He'd put his foot in his mouth enough and asking about this war or what the torture curse actually felt like was a resoundingly bad idea for the mood in the tent at the moment.
Later in the afternoon it was decided housing needed to be sorted. They had forgotten to handle it the night before and Hannah ended up sleeping in the RV with Oliver in the room set aside for Charlie just in case he showed up.
With the arrival of two more people, another tent had to be pulled out of the trunks. Luckily it had already been warded and all that was required was everyone being added to the wards and the modified vanishing cabinet added and linked to the others.
There was still the bed in the RV that was available as well so Hannah opted to stay there as she'd really enjoyed her sleep there the night before. Oliver, on the other hand, was set up in the third tent that was pulled out for their people.
This one was slightly different from the others in that it didn't come with a kitchen or dining room. Even the main room was more of an entry way than any sort of sitting area. This tent was more of a dormitory type of tent than a home as the other two were. The man in the shop had explained that it was a model that was a line of tents that usually catered to families for visits. They didn't need any facilities because they were usually set up in a backyard for the visit and this more than just bedrooms and bathrooms weren't needed. They had several of this model, which, if more people came from their world, would be helpful.
The main room had three doors that led to hallways and each hallway had five doors. The two doors on either side of the hall were bedrooms and the door at the end of the hall was a bathroom. For a total of twelve rooms and three bathrooms. The cabinet was installed in a corner of the main room for ease of use.
Oliver wasn't the only one in this tent, however. There had been a bit of a reshuffle of sleeping arrangements. Katie, Alicia, Viktor, and Seamus and Dean had decided to move over as well. This freed up several rooms in the main tent that were repurposed.
The biome trunks were all moved out of the storage room and into the free room next to Neville. This was made the official 'farm room' as they called it. The other empty room in that hall was once again set up to be an armory. However this time it was fully set up with shelves of weapons, ammunition, armor, and various other things such as the supplies from the twins for offence and defence.
They were wary to try the idea Dean had to use expansion charms on the other two rooms to set them up as training rooms but between the combined assurances from Hermione, Blaise, and Bill, who were the ones that handled the wards and enchantments on the tents the most, that it would be fine it was seriously given thought. It wasn't until Luna assured that it would work that they decided to go for it.
The room across from Blaise was made into a training room for hand to hand combat. It there were racks transfigured to hold weapons, both transfigured wooden training weapons but real blades as well.
The next room, across from Hermione, was expanded to the limits of what was possible within the magic of the tent without making the whole thing explode. It took a lot of very, very careful warding, enchanting, and runic arrays to make it possible. The end result was a range for practicing with guns, throwing knives, and arrows.
The whole process of putting up the new tent, moving everyone around, setting up the new permanent rooms in the tent, and all of the magic that went into expanding and creating the range and training room ended up taking a total of three and a half days.
During that time, the Dixons had learned more about magic and the wizards and witches they were living in close proximity with. It was amazing to see all of the things they could do. They watched in awe as things were turned from one thing into another or created from nothing. It was mind-blowing.
The Dixon brothers were not offered to move into one of the tents yet as they didn't know them quite well enough for that. However wards were offered for their tent and the rednecks accepted, not stupid enough to turn down protection.
It was explained to them that once they knew each other well enough and trust was built on both sides, they would be invited to move into the magical tents but they were still basically strangers. They couldn't fault this logic. They'd always lived by a philosophy of covering their own asses first so they couldn't be mad at it.
They were allowed in the main tent for relaxing and were told they were welcome to use the shower in the tent or in the RV, whichever they preferred. It was much appreciated. Neither brother was overly fussy about their appearance but that didn't mean they couldn't appreciate a nice hot shower.
Being fine washing in a stream or the lake in the quarry and preferring it were two different things and they weren't too proud to take what was offered. Especially since it wasn't offered as charity but more in a 'we don't mind you in our space so you're welcome to it so you don't stink' kind of way.
When the magicals were finished with the Dixon tent both brothers were floored. They'd accepted the protective wards so they didn't have to worry about walkers in their sleep but they'd dome more than just that.
As the brothers stepped inside they realized that the same climate control spells had been added and the tent, much like the magical tents, felt cool and comfortable. That wasn't the only thing that had been changed though. The inside had been expanded and their sleeping bags had been transfigured into actual beds complete with blankets and pillows. Each bed had a nightstand to hold whatever personal effects they had. A divider had also been somehow added between the beds to give the brothers privacy and it was explained that silencing spells were around the beds.
There was also a necklace resting on each night stand waiting for the brothers. When they asked about them they were once again surprised by magic. And surprised that they were being included.
This was a new system that Blaise had come up with, in all of his brilliance, after hearing the Dixons talk about cell phones and remembering the galleons that had been used during the war. Blaise, Bill, Viktor, and Hermione had put their heads together and come up with this little piece of genius using the galleons as a starting point.
The necklace itself was a cord of black leather from which hung a piece of turquoise about the size of a quarter. It was what they did that made them special. If you gripped the turquoise and focused on one person, obviously it had to be someone who had a necklace as well, you could send thoughts and messages back and forth.
It was a delicate and extremely complex piece of magic that combined the galleons with legilimency. This was apparently a project Hermione and Blaise had been working on for months and both Bill and then Viktor had started helping with the research and their own expertise as they joined them at the quarry.
Daryl thought it was probably the best use of magic yet. It would make hunting and scouting a lot easier if they didn't have to speak and risk startling animals. They were warned though, that if they didn't clearly direct a message to someone specific, whatever they sent would be received by everyone with a necklace. That was a little daunting but still useful.
This was yet another thing that required blood. The Dixons were starting to understand that the magicals were doing things that weren't really approved of, or even legal, in their world with all of the magic they were using that required blood. However, they didn't see anything wrong with it. So far anything blood-related that the magicals had mentioned was all for protection, such as the blood the brothers had been required to part with for their tent. It had only taken a couple of drops and then the cut had been instantly healed by Draco.
Much like that, these necklaces required three drops of blood to activate. This was in the event someone got ahold of one of these necklaces they wouldn't be able to use them for more than decoration.
Both brothers weren't sure how to feel about being so included. It was the first time they'd been welcomed, brought into the fold without caveats, requirements, expectations, or condescension. No one sneered at them or called them dirty rednecks.
When Merle had made a comment about it, all he got were looks of confusion.
There definitely was condescension from Draco but after several days spent at the camp they'd learned that that was just his way. He was like that with everyone though he wasn't malicious. He'd never made them feel stupid or actually made them feel like he looked down on them.
He made comments and poked at them, as he did everyone, but they'd learned and Merle had started poking back, though kept well clear of certain subjects. He'd learned the first time.
Draco and Merle tended trade barbs and most everyone found it amusing. Both men were thrilled that there was someone outside their immediate family, for Draco it meant the inner circle of this group, that didn't take everything to heart.
One day when the eldest Dixon had come back from hunting covered head to toe in mud and other crud, Draco had asked him if the Moat Monster had a nice hunt.
Merle had fired back that Legolas could get stuffed, because Draco had been heading into the range and had a bow and quiver strapped to his back at the time. It was only thanks to his long years around Hermione that the blonde understood the reference. He'd thought it was an amusing complement and had run around insisting everyone call him Prince Greenleaf for a whole day.
At first Merle had been annoyed that his barb hadn't really landed but then he'd seen the humor in Draco's reaction.
All in all things were peaceful and the two new men were fitting into their group well. The little snafu on their second day in camp was easily brushed aside and they, for the most part, all got on fairly well.
Harry wanted to be hopeful for how things would go with future additions but he wasn't holding his breath. He'd had too many things go wrong in the past to trust the next additions to be so easy. Time would only tell on that front.