What Can You Do?
Disclaimer: Please review and I only own the OC.
Again, thank you to Darkangelfirekitsune for being my beta and putting up with me ^-^
If there are any A/N in this chapter they will be marked with a * and the meaning behind it will be at the bottom of the chapter.
***There are going to be straight, gay, and lesbian pairings in this story***
***Don't like. Don't read***
Chapter 5
With Harry
Once he reached the clearing, he started to feel weak. Realizing that he had not eaten or drunk anything, he sat on the ground. Taking off his sack he reached in and grabbed his water bottle, along with some crackers. While sitting, he tried to view the area with new eyes. But he could not find anything wrong. No signs of a fight. No inferius or George lying around, just trash. Once he was done, drinking half of his water and eating half of the pack, he put the items back into his sack. Standing up he cast appare vestigium again, and the same blue shimmery footprints appeared. No new ones heading off in any other direction, nothing saying where George might have gone.
Feeling frustrated he turned towards a group of trees and cast bombarda*on them causing them to explode. Feeling defeated, he turned and plopped down on the ground. Unsure of how long he could convince the others to stay in the area, he wanted to find George soon. He was hoping alive and not as an inferius. Lifting his eyes, he ended up looking at the footprints that led to the highway. Something still didn't seem right about the way they looked. He knew that the spell was going to start fading soon, with how the shimmering blue light was fading in and out.
Getting up he walked over and kneeled to look at them. He was trying to remember what he read about the spell when it hit him like a ton of bricks. The spell only shimmered when two or more sets of the same person's footprints were on top of each other. Standing up he started to follow them. He realized that they were on the same path the group took to get to the road. The spell faded and he had to cast it again, when he noticed they started to veer off from the others, heading left.
Following them, he noticed that they stopped at the top of a hill. Looking down, he could see that they picked back up at the bottom. Slowly making his way down the slope, and once on even ground, Harry looked around before continuing after them. Making it only a couple of steps, he saw an inferius dead on a pile of rocks, blood all around. Taking in a deep breath, he picked up following the prints until they led him into a small clearing, with a lake in the middle.
Looking around hoping to see George, but it was a dead end. Sighing, Harry looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was setting. Needing to head back, he decided to continue his search tomorrow. Letting out a tired sigh, Harry turned and started walking towards the woods, when something hit him in the back of the head. Stopping, he rubbed where he was hit before turning around; there on the ground was an acorn. Giving it a raised eye-brow he turned, getting ready to leave again when he was hit, only this time on the arse. Jumping, he turned around and started searching the trees, trying to find the perp.
Not seeing anything he asked, "George?" while continuing to search the trees, finding nothing. He started to leave when he heard a branch snap. Looking closer at the trees, he noticed that one of them was shaking, signaling that something was climbing down. Keeping his eyes on that particular tree, he saw that it was George, slowly making his way to the ground.
Feeling relieved, Harry ran towards him, extremely happy that he was alive. Realistically he knew that the odds were not in their favor*. Stopping below the tree, Harry waited for George to finish climbing down. Taking in his appearance, Harry could tell that he was injured due to what looked like blood, both dried and fresh, along with dirt all over his clothes. He also looked exhausted.
"You scared the hell out of me you bloody idiot. Have you been here the whole time?" Harry asked his voice filled with concern. Once George had his feet back on the ground, Harry hugged him. He knew that he did not want to squeeze too tight, but at that moment he could not stop himself.
When Harry pulled him into a hug, George let out a hiss of pain but hugged Harry back just as hard. They took just a few moments to reaffirm that they were both alive.
"What happened?" Harry asked letting George go and looking him over. He started to pull him towards the lake. When they got next to it Harry looked in to make sure no inferius was waiting in its depths. Not seeing any he motioned for George to sit down, and kneeling next to him, he sat his sack beside him.
"When I got back to camp, I told everyone that I saw an inferius. Dave argued with me about how one could not have been this far into the woods. It was during this that one walked right in and almost bit me. Thank Merlin, I moved in time. I was trying to get my knife when all I heard was Dave telling everyone else to run. While I was trying to unhook my knife, it kept coming at me. So, I just turned and ran the same way as everyone else," George was saying then stopped. He tried to clear his throat and was unable to. Harry, understanding reached into his sack and pulled out his water bottle. Handing it over, George gave a weak thank you, before chugging the rest. Once it was empty, he cleared his throat again as he handed it back.
"While running I notice that some of the others were not going to make it. So, I tried to grab my knife again to turn and kill it. While turning I stepped wrong and fell down a hill. The inferius followed me. During the fall I ended up cutting myself with my knife and the debris on the ground. Pretty sure I have some bruises from it also," he said motioning to his side.
"Let me give you a check," Harry said. George took off his shirt, revealing the damage done.
"When I reached the bottom, I got up, found my knife, and was ready to kill it, but it was already dead. Its head landed on some rocks, smashing it open. I was getting ready to start the climb back up when two more made an appearance. Turning in the opposite direction from them, I ran until I ended up here. Tired and sore I knew I could not fight, so I found the easiest tree that I could climb. I figured they would get bored and leave, or someone would come to find me. When they heard the gunshots, they stopped trying to get me and started making their way towards it. I was getting ready to climb down when my side started to kill me. I was just going to rest for a little, but I guess I fell asleep. I was just waking up when I saw you walking into the clearing. Sorry for throwing the acorns at you but I didn't want to yell… and it was fun," he said a big smile on his face.
Harry was nodding along with everything George was saying, until the end where he gave him a fake glare. Turning back to look over his wounds, nothing felt broken but just to be safe he cast quid enim mali est'* to make sure. The results read that other than some bruises and a few cuts he was fine. Breathing a sigh of relief, he cast a quick episkey* to heal the cuts. Reaching into his sack he pulled out a small wooden box. Enlarging it, he sat it on the ground between George and himself and lifted the lid. Inside, there was a bunch of potions and searching he grabbed a bottle containing a greenish-brown paste. Opening it he started to apply the potion to George's bruises.
"I am happy and relieved that you are ok and not seriously hurt, but we have to start making our way towards camp. I told everyone I would be back by dark," Harry said looking George over, making sure he did not miss anything. Once he was satisfied, he put the lid back on the bottle and cleaning up he put everything back in his sack. Grabbing the strap, he placed it over his head. Giving George a nod they both stood up and George put his shirt back on. Once done, they started making their way into the woods. Walking for a while Harry gave George a sideways look before talking.
"Dave is gone. I kicked him out of the group."
"Over what?" George asked looking up into the twilight sky.
"He killed Dawn and beat Luna up. She's unconscious cause of him. I don't want to be the leader, but he forced my hand. He gave me no choice and I know that, but damn it. I don't want to be responsible for any more innocent lives," Harry said stopping and staring up at the night sky also.
"If it makes you feel any better, I think at 17-years-old, you were a better leader then Dave was. I also think we should continue to make our way towards Atlanta. It's the best option."
"We'll have to stop for supplies. Dave ate all of the food and got rid of the medication. We set up camp for tonight, but I don't know where the nearest town or city is for a supply run. When I emptied Dave's bag there was no map in it," Harry said getting himself worked up again.
"Breath," George reminded Harry.
"I guess it's a good thing I made a copy of it then," George said pulling his bag off of his shoulder searching around a bit. Finding it he held it up to show Harry with a Cheshire grin on his face; mischief lighting up his eyes.
"When did you have time to do that?" asked Harry, his own Cheshire grin on. Reaching over he grabbed it. Looking it over the best he could, with the little light available, he could see that it was a perfect copy, not that he doubted George, he just had to make sure.
"A few days ago. As I said, I had a feeling that we were going to break from the group soon. How many stayed?" George asked taking the map back when Harry handed it to him.
"Everyone. Dave killed Dawn in a fit of rage by throwing her off of a bus. For some reason, they had climbed on it. He tried to kill the inferi by shooting at them but all he ended up doing was drawing more out. When Arika and I got there a horde had formed, and that is what he through her into. They tore into her. Everyone heard her dying screams. No one was going to go with him after that," Harry said walking again.
George hearing what was said, his jaw fell open and eyes went wide. Giving a whistle George said," Bloody hell. That man was bonkers," and shaking his head in disbelief.
"Other than Dawn being dead, and Luna being hurt what about the others?"
"I don't think anyone else is hurt. I made sure Luna was not going to die, then went looking for you. Tara told me what happened. I could not leave family behind again," Harry said with raw emotion in his voice. He stopped again and tried not to start crying, failing. With his shoulders shaking George walked up and hugged him.
"It wasn't your fault. Percy was not your fault. We came to visit you as a surprise. You didn't plan nor start the apocalypse. He was bitten. We knew what that meant, and so did he. He died so we could get away. All of us would have done the same, so it's not. Your. Fault. Nothing that happened or will happen is," he told Harry, tears streaming down his face.
"Even at 32-years-old, you still think as that same 17-year-old, that the weight of the world is only yours to bear. It's not, so come on little brother we have to get back before an inferius shows up, or the group thinks we're both dead," George said releasing Harry. Wiping his face free of tears, Harry gave George a nod and they started making their way back to camp.
With the Others
Looking out in the direction that Harrison had left, there was still no sign of him and Arika was starting to worry. Awhile after he left, they heard an explosion and Paul offered to go and check to see what it was. She said no that she didn't want him to risk his life by running into a horde or whatever had caused it. The explosion sounded far enough away that it should not affect them, but it also sounded like it came from the area Harrison was heading.
Taking her eyes away from the woods she took a look at the other group members when her gaze landed on Luna. According to Bryan, as far as he could tell the only life-threatening injuries was her concussion. Without a CT scan, he didn't know how bad it was. Her brain could have some bleeding, or she could be fine. All he could do was watch her and make sure she didn't have a seizure. Taking a deep breath, she released it and turned her sight back to the woods. She was on watch and she had to stay focused.
"We need to make a fire," Bryan said out of the blue, his gaze locked on the darkening sky. When he turned away and looked at the other members, he could see confusion and worry on their faces. It was when his eyes landed on Arika, whose face was one of suspicion, that he wondered what he said wrong.
"Why?" Arika asked harshly.
"It would only draw the dead towards us," she said glaring at him. With a sigh, Bryan realized what it must have sounded like.
"I need light to be able to observe Luna. It does not have to be a lot. Just enough for me to notice any symptoms sooner. We don't want to wait until morning because, by that point, it could mean death. Also, it would help us make sure that it is Harrison and George walking into camp, and not any of the dead." Understanding what Brian meant, Alex and Paul got up and started to search for some wood they could use.
"Do you still need help with Luna?" Tara asked looking to Bryan. Shaking his head no, she got up and started helping the boys. Arika continued to look at Bryan as if searching for the truth. After a while, she must have found what she was looking for because she turned towards some rocks and started to move them into a circle.
"Why are you doing that?" Tara asked.
"To contain the fire. That way it does not spread," Arika replied with a small smile on her face. Tara seeing it gave one back and helped her move the stones over. Once they were done, Alex came over and started to drop branches and leaves into it.
"Does anyone have a way to start it?" Alex asked still standing next to the pit.
"I do," Paul said carrying over the wood he found. Setting it off to the side, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a box of matches, shaking them with a smile on his face. Before long they had a small fire, and just in time.
Sitting around the fire everyone was taking in the warmth when Alex rubbed his stomach and looking at the others asked, "Does anyone have anything to eat?"-
"I have some granola bars and a can of something I think," Tara said grabbing her bag and looking in it. Pulling the granola bars and a small silver can out, she placed them in front of her. Grabbing her bag, Arika started searching and pulled out a pack of sunflower seeds and jerky with a sheepish look on her face. Everyone laughed. Turning towards Paul to see what he had, he ended up turning his bag upside down dumping everything on the ground. Five cans fell out along with clothes and a few small items. Looking at the food in wonder they all looked up to see the triumphant smirk on his face.
"I don't know, and I'm not going to ask," Alex said reaching for one.
"We should try and ration them the best we can. I don't know where we can make a supply run, and with the way our luck is going, I don't think it would be anytime soon," Arika said reaching over and grabbing Tara's can, she sat back up handing it to her.
"Arika and I will share one," Tara said opening her can.
"Alex and I will share," Paul said grabbing one of the cans and handing it to Alex.
"Bryan can have one and save the rest for one of the others. The rest will be saved for later," he continued, getting ready to grab another can.
"No," Bryan said causing everyone to turn and look at him in confusion. Reaching into his bag he pulled out a bag of crackers.
"I am good, this is all I need right now. If there is a can of soup or broth that would be ideal for Luna when she wakes up. She will need something light and soft," he said in a soft-caring tone.
"Yea I think I have some chicken noodle," Paul said looking at the cans. Finding the one he needed he got up and handed it to Bryan. With a thank you, he took it and sat it next to the water. Grabbing the bottle, he opened it and tilted her head back a little as he slowly started to pour it into her mouth. He watched to see if she would swallow on her own, and when she did, he gave a big sigh of relief and sat it down. Opening the bag, he started to munch on the crackers.
The group was watching the exchange and when they saw Bryan relax and start to eat, so did they. After Tara was done with her half, she handed the can over to Arika, who took it with a quiet thanks. Looking down at the food, Arika could not stop herself from feeling bad. Glancing over at Tara, Arika noticed that she looked like she was going to cry, again.
"I'm sorry about Dawn," she said with sincerity in her voice.
"How long did you know her?"
"Since 6th grade. I just transferred schools and didn't know anyone. There was a pair project, and everyone picked their friend in the class. We were the only two left, so we were paired together. It was history after that," Tara said a sad smile on her face.
"She was quiet but so smart. She was not cut out for a world like this. Not that anyone is really, but she honestly could not even kill a fly. I was hoping that she could at least get home to see her family," her voice wavering and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I think she was happy to have known you. I saw the way you guys acted, and for a while, I thought you were sisters. I saw what happened. By the time anyone realized what was going on it was too late. Dave had already thrown her off the bus," Arika said raising her head to look into Tara's copper brown eyes.
"There was really nothing I could have done?"
"No. It happened too fast."
"Thanks. I guess I needed to hear that. I'm was still thinking that there was something I could have done," she said hanging her head, her blonde hair hiding her face. Moving her hand to Tara's shoulder, Arika gave a squeeze before she started to eat. Hearing the exchange between the girls, Paul started to feel bad. He knew that something should have been done by the group, even himself.
Everyone saw that Dave was not handling the stress well. He was cracking, but they still let him lead and that was on them. If they had kicked him out a while ago none of this would have happened. Instead, they just turned their heads and played blind, deaf, and dumb.
It was at this point that they heard rustling coming from the trees. Jumping up Paul and Arika both pulled out their knives getting ready to attack. Tara quickly got up and went over to Bryan just in case they needed to get Luna up and make a run for it, with Alex standing in front.
It was a tense few seconds until Harrison walked out of the trees. Seeing his face everyone relaxed and smiled at him. It was when George followed behind him that everyone was surprised but happy. Arika and Paul went up and clapped him on the shoulders. Alex walked towards him and asked, how he was. It was Tara running up and apologizing frantically about leaving him and crying that surprised George the most. Pulling her into a hug he said it was fine and that he was sorry that she had lost Dawn. During all of this Harry walked over to Bryan.
"How is she doing?" he asked, concern in his voice, and his face showed how worried he was. Bryan looked into Harry's eyes with his own amber brown and motion for him to sit down. Now he was worried and was preparing for the worst.
"I know who you are, Harry Potter, and what you can do. I can't help your friend, but you can," Bryan said in a whisper. Hearing this Harry looked at Bryan, shock on his face.
"Who are you?" Harry asked warily. From what Bryan had said he could not have been a wizard. And, as far as Harry knew his name was not as big over here as it was at home. Looking back into Bryan's eyes he started to wonder.
"My name is Bryan Kowalski. My great uncle used to tell me stories about creatures and magic. He and his wife always gave each other knowing looks. I didn't understand until I was older. I was not supposed to know that magic was real or that he had married a witch. I didn't tell anyone when I found out, in fear that I would never see them again. But, from that moment on I knew all of the stories that they were telling me where real. One of the stories was about you. Baby Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Lived. I don't care what you did or didn't do. I just wanted you to know that you had someone else on your side, so tonight I will keep watch while you and George treat Luna. I don't think there is anything life-threatening, but I don't know, and I have no way of checking. You guys are her best option," he said non-threatening while looking at Luna with concern.
Looking at Bryan harder, he could tell that he was not lying. He was around 50-years-old with salt and pepper hair. You could see that he was aging gracefully; with only laugh lines around his eyes. He was still tall, coming just below George's 5'9".
Harry relaxed and looked over at the others now around the small fire laughing and talking quietly. Making eye contact with George he gave a nod of his head to have him come over. Excusing himself George got up and walked over. Reaching them, Harry explained what Bryan had said and he agreed. After everyone fell asleep, they would treat Luna.
~~~~~~~~Slytherin~~~~~~~~
A/N-Also if anyone has any questions about the story please ask.
1. Bombarda- bomb (Italian)
Type: Charm
Pronunciation: bom-BAR-dah
Description: To attack a place or person continually with bombs or other missiles.
2. I could not resist. I want to say sorry, but I really can't.
3. Quid Enim Mali Est- what is wrong (Latin) (Made it up)
Type: Detection Spell
Pronunciation: Qu-ee-Da A-nee-ma Ma-lee es
Description: A spell that when you cast it on someone a list appears in the air that tells you what is wrong with them. The more server the injury the further up the list it is.
4. Episkey- repair (Greek)
Type: Healing Spell
Pronunciation: ee-PISS-key
Description: Used to heal relatively minor injuries, such as broken bones and cartilage.
***Sorry, I was planning for them to have met up with Rick's group by now, but it would have felt too rushed to me***
Kk
~~~~~~~~Ravenclaw~~~~~~~~
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Review Answers:
AnimeNerdX: (I have my reason for it and the apocalypse has only been worldwide at this point for a little over two months. So, it has not gotten to the point of kill or be killed with fellow humans, yet.)