Twelve: Ring the bell for the next round

Previously: Harry searches for Hershel, and finds him with Rick and Glenn in a gunfight with other Muggles. Harry decides to not risk his people while Carol shows her Slytherin side to Kreacher, and Luna hopes good decisions are in the making. Death probably knows, but Harry isn't all that talkative, and Merle should ask his next question, but they are a bit too busy for playing games.

Once again, thank you so much for the lovely comments, the kudo's, and the people who are enjoying my work. I love writing it, and while my muse has been a bit quiet, it started again. This is a bit of a smaller chapter, that used to belong to eleven, but eleven became too much! So I hope you enjoy. I promise thirteen will offer a lot more. As always, my thanks and love go out to Salllzy, without her I would not be able to get these chapters out as they are.


Present time Green farm, inside the tent with Carol and Sophia

It did not take long before Carol heard the next two 'pops' coming in that usually announced Ron and Harry. Draco tensed as he looked over at Harry, who had been wearing his usual attire, whereas Draco had come in wearing a surprisingly casual look for the man in question. He never rolled up his sleeves as she had seen the others do, but she guessed that the man charmed his clothing to not be bothered by the heat.

"What happened?" Carol asked, thinking something had gone awry when she looked at Ron and Merle's faces.

"Fuckin' motherfucking assholes got in a gunfight," Merle started heated, as he spit out the words, before he saw Carol's scathing look, and held his hands up. He took a few deep breaths, and tried to smile innocently. "Sorry darlin', old habit. Let me try again: the very stupid men were holding a cowboy shoot-off in a town full of walkers."

Merle scoffed, as Carol looked back at him with surprise on her face. "Nobody's that stupid, right?"

"Not getting killed for some stupid Muggles," Ron muttered, as Harry took the hastily made mug with tea from Draco's hands.

"There were too bloody many people, too many to step into danger ourselves without magic. I'm not outing us for that." The Master of Death proclaimed with a strained voice. Nobody needed to know that Death had made him not intervene, because Fate said that people needed to learn their own lessons. That was what Death often told him.

"Hey Draco, how are you?" Ron hugged the man to diffuse the situation, before Draco handed him a mug as well made exactly how he liked it. They knew each other well. Harry only rested his head on the blond's shoulders, before he sighed and just shook his head as he walked off to the bathroom.

"I am very good, I just got crazy with all the ladies at the manor, they are driving me nuts. I almost think that Severus loves being cooped up in his lab to hide. Since I'm on call, they won't leave me alone." Draco smiled tiredly but shrugged in a way that wasn't as polished as usual.

"Severus has the ire of a powerful potion mistress, if he doesn't produce any potions. Has he made her stop brewing?" Ronald asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Yes, she only agreed because I told her as well. Without doubt, it was Elenoir who probably convinced her, as that woman has been looking out for everyone, but I thought I came to visit Sophia. Help her with potions and charms." Draco explained. He palmed his mug with tea, and looked evidently tired.

"Good excuse," muttered Merle, while Daryl nonchalantly leaned against a chair.

"Ah yes, that is a brilliant idea. Harry went over history with her yesterday. I'm supposed to do some household charms tomorrow." Ron explained happily, now that the subject changed to make sure that Sophia would not hear everything.

"How's Gerald?" Harry walked back into the room, rubbing his hands on a small towel.

"Resting or busy. He's been corresponding with a lot of his contacts, colleagues, acquaintances, and his family. He's trying his hardest to make it work. Some wizards still don't believe it, but the more separated wizarding alleys are a mess." Draco responded. "Elenoir makes sure that he eats, don't worry."

"We should start on those as well." Harry added as an afterthought.

"Wait on the Ministries first. Gerald is trying to get more information. Maybe if we clean up the wards, magical folk could build on those again. There are a few with some agricultural domes." Draco offered.

"You're right. First things first." Harry nodded.


Night came faster than expected, and while Sophia was put to bed by Carol, a habit they had picked up again, even though she was too old for it, Draco and Luna both stayed behind for some drinks, and to discuss the upcoming plans. For now, they had all been lounging outside the tent, as the weather was cooling down a bit, and they wanted to make it look like they had to be outside the tent instead of staying inside all day.

They were seated at some different chairs, logs of wood, and a luxury chair for Carol, who had her feet propped up on a camping stool. A nice fire had been lit by Merle in the middle, and Luna and Carol had handed out the alcohol for the night. Harry and Draco were nursing their brandy, while Merle, Ron and Daryl had some beers. Carol and Luna were sharing a bottle of white wine to drink the warm day away.

They were talking about their own plans, those of the other survivors, and how they should deal with everything that was coming their way. Ron was discussing defense tactics with Merle, as Carol was listening to Luna who was filling her in on the important details that she should know about while having a magical daughter. A very gifted one at that.

It was Harry who shook them all up with the sudden declaration as he had been staring at the fire for a few good minutes without participating in the conversations that had gone around.

"I want to leave." His voice was soft, and as he looked up, his eyes were sparkling with green fire, just like the embers that came loose from the firepit before the tent. The night had fallen like a thick, heavy blanket over their concerns, and Harry shrugged. "I'm starting to feel uncomfortable here."

Luna hummed her reassurance, that he wasn't the only one who felt that, but they all waited for him to speak. Harry had become less and less vocal, in contrast to his youth. His family knew that they just should let him hash it out by himself.

"If we could, I would like to start packing tomorrow." He seemed to pause as if he had said something wrong, before he took a breath and nodded to himself in an absentminded sort of way.

"Mack said he felt death on the fields when he came to visit with Draco, just before they left, and he wasn't wrong. The dead are leaving the cities, and this farm isn't as protected as it should be. I took a few walks with Daryl to confirm it." Hadrian looked over at the hunter, who nodded his agreement of the assessment.

"I warned Hershel, and indirectly Rick and Shane, but they don't want to listen. Stubborn bastards. I wanted to stay for the others, but I feel as if we would be risking our own lives for them, and I won't do that anymore. The community at home has started to take shape, and we need to invest now." It was the most words Harry had spoken, after he had told his background story, in a long time. It was quite a surprise.

At this Luna smiled deeply, and Hadrian took a deep breath, before he looked everyone in the eye, Daryl being the last gaze he held a bit longer than the rest.

"I agree," said Merle straightforwardly, while Daryl just nodded slowly with a small grunt that he agreed with his brother. Carol looked thoughtful, and Draco swirled his drink smoothly in his glass waiting for which way the conversation would go.

"I would prefer to also leave tomorrow. I could have the tent packed for travel in two hours, and we could take our time at the Peverell Grounds to unpack." Ron added as he finished his ale.

"Do you want to wait until Hershel gets back?" Luna asks Harry, who just shrugs.

"Not anymore. He's been listening to Rick, and as much as I appreciate the Moore brothers, and I do want to help them save the Greene's, I value our safety over that of the survivors." Harry's voice sounded loaded as he looked towards the farmhouse, like he was carrying the world. "A brilliant woman, whom I consider my sister, told me that I should be a bit more egocentric, if necessary. I've decided to do that." He winked towards Luna, who smiled back at him in her mystical way.

"We could leave a message for them, add some tracking charms on Carl and maybe Maggie." Luna offered it as an olive branch, but she smiled as the images ran through her head. If a decision was made, she could at least see more, and she liked what she saw.

"We could." Harry finished his drink, and smiled softly. "We also could leave tonight. If it's all the same for you, Ron. The manor has enough guestrooms that Kreacher can set up in a few minutes if we notify them now. Then we'll sort the rest out in the morning."

"Then why are we still sittin' here?" It was Daryl who broke through the soft, and warm silence of the night, that had been laced with a small tension. "You can do magic, let's do magic." He exclaimed with an almost happy smile.

"Sophia is asleep," countered Merle immediately, before Carol could open her mouth, and she looked at the man with a soft smile. He was not what anyone would expect, but his care for people he considered family was golden.

"And could be transferred in her sleep. Harry is the strongest out of us, he could get you two over in an instant, and she would not even notice a thing. Especially because she is magical. It is not as invasive then." Luna added in a more serious tone.

"I say we do it now." Draco nodded. "Everyone in agreement?" He held his hand out, in a gesture that if you agreed, you had to add your hand. Merle was the first, Daryl followed suit, Carol smiled at all of them and added her hand, while Harry and Luna were last.

"Well then, my fair ladies and gentlemen, please stand up, get your travel bags from the tent and load them with the stuff that you would need for two nights. I highly doubt you need them, but just to be sure. Harry, you send a Patronus, Draco a coin message, and then you can apparate Sophia and Carol out, and I will start packing the tent." Ron ordered them all, and they all followed suit.

"What about the car and bike?" Merle asked?

"Well load them up, and shrink them if we're a few roads away from the farm. That's no problem." Ron explained.

"We'll start there then," added Merle, and Daryl followed him.

After Harry had downed the rest of his drink, he sent out his Chupacabra Patronus, while Draco fiddled with the coin around his neck. The rest practically ran into the tent or towards the cars, while Ron and Luna started to undo the safety wards, and Harry stood on the lookout for them, holding his battle wand at hand, while the Elder wand was thrumming happily in his holster.

Death did not always intervene, or make executive decisions for his 'Master', but it had grown to care for the now immortal, who wielded the powers with so much grace beyond what the entity had expected, that when the man was thrust into yet another disaster, or adventure, it decided to guide the man that never had that before. Harry made a good wielder of the relics; honest, true, and he had good friends on his side to make sure he was never led astray.

'I know,' Harry added mentally, knowing that the entity could hear him. 'I should have listened sooner.'

'No, you waited just enough. It will all work out just fine.'


Present time Green farm, Green house

Shane was angry; the whole meeting went on and on, and they droned about safety, while being unsafe right now. He had been thinking about taking the lead back from Rick, but he needed more backup to execute his plan the way he wanted it. Some of these people were weak, and Rick needed to see that.

The deputy was looking out the window, at the big tent with the two smaller ones that the Dixons and Harry inhabited when anybody would see them, when he saw the big red haired guy starting to break down the lines. Harry stood on the lookout, with a determination on his face that was unreadable to the former deputy.

"Are they leaving?" Shane grumbled, while he stood up, totally ignoring Andrea's conversation with Dale, Lori's high pitched voice, and Maggie's attempt to rescue the situation with her Southern drawl. Shane did not know what came over him, but he felt a strange calmness that he only experienced during shootouts, as he looked towards the group.

It caused a small intermission in the meeting, as Shane raced outside the door, towards the bigger man who stood with his back towards the tent, seemingly getting the tent pins out of the ground. Merle just got out of his pick-up that had the bicycle stashed in it, and started loading the smaller tents into the back of his car. As all the men were busy packing, Carol sat with her little girl in her arms in the front of the car seemingly waiting for them to finish.

"Tha fack man." He ran towards Ron, who hastily put something away in his pocket, and pulled out a knife to cut one of the chords that would not budge as he heavily pulled on the tent pin.

Harry turned around, knife still in hand on the lookout, as he looked up towards Shane with indifference plastered all over his face. The man seemed to ignore him, and was looking in the distance, as the other was struggling with the tent pin. Shane grated his throat and

"Hello Shane, everything alright?" Ron asked him calmly, with a nonchalance that annoyed the fuck out of Shane already.