A/N
We broke 20 reviews! Yeah! I am so happy! So I had normally planned on releasing this chapter next on the 22ndor the 23rd….but I am so happy that I am putting it out early! It's a whopper to! Biggest one I have ever written, over 11k words! I hope you all enjoy it.
Let's try and break 40 reviews for this one!
SUPER SPECIAL SHOUTOUT to AnarchicMuse and lOoWardyoOl ! Thanks for the pointers and words of wisdom on this chapter, you guys really put my mind at ease! And, as promised, your very own batch of freshly baked, walker shaped sugar cookies! Yeah!
Also, I am on Kik messenger! Details are on my profile page. Feel free to shoot me a message if you so desire. My name on kik is artariouss
Remember to read and review people! Read and review!
I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters….or any of the Walking Dead characters either….if I had, Carl would not have been shot and Lucius would have had a much bigger role in things, just saying. Shane would still be dead though…yeah….as a doornail
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Previously, on Death, Decay, and Diffindo:
Harry put the bowl on the ground before laying gently back against the bed. The meal and the exasperated teen had done wonders for Harry emotionally, but he still felt like crap. As he felt his eyes start drifting shut, his hazy thoughts turned towards his two friends and godson.
'I hope they're ok.' Was his last conscious thought of the night.
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Harry let out an exhausted sigh as he plopped down into a random chair in the kitchen. The last two or so weeks with the Vatos had been tiring in more ways than one. The young wizard leaned back farther into the chair before closing his eyes. He thought back to the second day he had been with the friendly gang, a day of answers and sadness.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: Two weeks ago)~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry had woken up the next day feeling better, both physically and magically, but not emotionality. He couldn't tell what time it was, with no windows in his room, but he knew one thing for sure. He was hungry. So, after completely waking up, he ventured forth into the hallway.
He was immediately greeted by a dozing Marcus, the man he had met the other day. Deciding, Harry tried to stir the big man awake.
"Hey uh…Marcus. Wake up." He said feeling slightly foolish. How did one wake up a guard without sounding condescending? Luckily for Harry, the man stirred before opening his eyes at the sound of his voice.
A brief conversation later and the two were off towards what Marcus had called 'the chow room'. Harry strongly suspected English was not the man's first language. But, like with Krum, Harry was able to understand most of what Marcus had said. When the two entered the bright, but mostly empty cafeteria, Harry could smell….something cooking in the kitchen area. Marcus had motioned for him to sit before heading off in the direction the smell was coming from. Sitting, Harry took a long look around the eating area. From the way the sun was shining into the room, he assumed it was sometime early in the day, maybe tenish or so. It was dirty, but not in a filth kind of way. More like, run down, used, or worn. Amongst the empty seats there were several other people, all eating, all looking still half asleep.
Scratch that, Harry was sure two of them actually were asleep.
His attention had returned to Marcus when he came back with two bowls of the same thin broth he had eaten last night. Accompanying it was a small side of beans and maybe a spoon of rice. While he was used to Hogwarts food now, his previous 'eating' experience at the Dursley's had taught him to accept anything he could to eat. Still, it wasn't a proper English breakfast, not by a long shot.
The two males sat and ate together in relative silence. Additional people had wandered in over the course of their meal, all of which glanced in Harry's direction more than a few times. He tried to smile or nod each time he saw a person looking even though none of them returned the gesture.
'I wonder why they are afraid…or wary of me.' He had thought at the time. He hadn't done anything bad…that he knew of at least. Then again, Guillermo had said the world was different now…maybe Harry had underestimated how much had changed….
Deciding to breach the topic, Harry broke the silence and talked to Marcus.
"What happened the past eight months? How could things have gone so badly?" He had asked. Marcus had looked up from his bowl and started at Harry in silence for a few seconds. Finally, he spoke.
"Need to ask Boss, Boss will tell." He had responded before digging back into his bowl.
"When do I get to talk to him? I need to find my friends." Harry had pressed. Now that he was awake and feeling somewhat better, his determination to find his friends had come back full force.
"After food." Marcus grunted in reply. Accepting that answer, the young wizard went back to his meal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry grimaced as he remembered the conversation he had with Guillermo and Felipe that day. That had been an informative, frightening, and depressing conversation all rolled up into one. It had, however, proven to Harry that he hadn't misjudged the Vatos, they really were decent folk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: Two weeks ago)~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry had been escorted by Marcus to Guillermo shortly following his morning meal. As they had headed towards the upstairs, the wizarding savior had tried to organize as many questions in his mind as he could. He had so many though, that he was having trouble figuring out which ones to ask first. Obviously, 'what the bloody hell happened' was first on the list…and that was as far as Harry could decide.
The trip upwards ended at an open door that had led to a room with one whole wall of windows that overlooked the rundown city. Spotting Guillermo and another man looking out over the city along with three chairs and a small bag, Harry had walked right in. Marcus closed the door behind him, electing to wait outside apparently. The Vatos leader and his companion had turned around at his approach. Guillermo motioned for Harry to take one of the seats before he and the other man sat down.
'At least I wasn't shoved into a chair this time' Harry snarked in his mind as he sat across from Guillermo. The man cleared his throat before he started the conversation.
"This is Felipe, he's the one who brought you back." Guillermo explained, motioning towards the heavyset man sitting beside him. He, Felipe, had only nodded towards Harry. Harry responded with his own nod before focusing back on the short Vatos leader.
"Here's the deal Harry. I said I would answer your questions, and I will, but only after you answer mine. Okay?"
Harry had only nodded in response. He had expected something like this to happen. He may not have been sorted into Slytherin, but over the years he had finally learned that nothing came for free, especially information.
"Don't lie to me Harry." He had warned before starting the barrage of questions.
"Are you part of a group?"
"No."
"Alright. Have you ever been with the looters?"
"No, I don't have any idea who they are."
Guillermo had nodded then, as if Harry had confirmed something he had been thinking.
"Okay. Next question. How are you so clean?" The Vatos leader asked, leaning forward in his chair. Felipe also looked to be paying close attention.
"Err, I don't understand the question." Harry had responded, confusion written all over his face. Sure the clothes he had put on were fresh, but Harry certainly didn't feel clean. At least not as clean as the man opposite him seemed to be suggesting.
"Your face, your hair, your clothes Harry. They look like they look like they've hardly been worn. Definitely not street clothes."
"What? I don't get what you are asking me. I just put them on when I woke up."
"When you woke up?"
"That is what I said."
"So you're still saying you were in a coma?" Felipe asked at that point.
"I guess…I don't know what happened. "
"What is a Brit doing so far from home?"
"I was here in the states on a trip with a friend of mine. I don't know anything after that before I woke up."
"How don't you know what's been going on these past few months?"
"I don't know, like I told you I think I was in a coma…"
"How long?" the other man questioned suddenly.
"How long what?"
"How long were you 'in a coma'" Felipe asked, making air quotes.
"You said it was sometime in August right? Year 2000? About eight months then." Harry responded after receive affirmatives to his fact checking.
Felipe looked over and shook his head at Guillermo.
"What?" Harry asked, perturbed that the man, both men most likely, didn't believe him.
"There is no way you could have survived. The power's been out for months. You would be dead." Felipe challenged, his voice growing hard.
"You have to be lying." He had said simply.
"How would you know?"
"I was a nurse before all this…mess happened"
"I'm not lying, I don't know what happened. Like I said, I was with a friend in December of 1999 in Massachusetts. Then I woke up in a hospital before being brought here and told it really is August of 2000. What the bloody hell do you think happened?" Harry demanded, his anger rushing to the surface.
"I don't know."
"Well I don't know either." Harry lied childishly. Once he learned the power had been out for months, Harry thought he had a good idea what had happened. His magic had saved him….somehow. It would easily explain how tired he had gotten after casting a few simple spells. His magical core had drained itself to keep him alive. But he couldn't tell muggles that. They couldn't believe him and he couldn't prove it without serious repercussions.
Harry's mind had been a blur of motion trying to figure out a plausible lie to appease the two men. If he didn't come up with something, he was sure they wouldn't answer his questions. In fact, they might even imprison him again. Harry was sure he could escape, sorta, but he would still be missing potentially vital information. A sudden idea popped into his head as the two stared at him.
"Wait….there was this woman…"Harry began. At the time, he had scrunched his face up in concentration, acting like he was trying hard to remember something. The two men shared a brief glance before turning back to Harry.
"Go on…." Guillermo said.
"Well, when I woke up I looked around and I found this blood. It looked fresh so I followed it. I…uh…found these two bodies. One had been eating the other one but both had their heads bashed in. " Harry said, mixing truth and lies into his story as best he could.
"Whoever put the two rotters down could have been tending to you…." Guillermo had said as he slowly nodded. It was possible, after all. The survivors of the group that had gone to the hospital had reported that the upper floors were heavily barricaded. There could have been a survivor.
Harry jumped on the man's cautious acceptance.
"Maybe, I just don't know. Please guys, you have to believe me. I really don't know what happened." He had pleaded. Begging was not something he enjoyed, not by a long shot, but he had learned to swallow his pride after Sirius had been killed. If he had just learned occlumency….
Harry quickly derailed that depressing train of thought. The past was over, right now he needed to focus on the present to get back to his friends and godson. He swore to look after the little kid and he damn well would find him. Healthy and alive.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen…errr Ninteen now." Harry responded with a small blush. His birthday had always been a weird thing for him. Most of his life he had spent being the only one who cared about it. Even after Hogwarts it really wasn't 'that big of a deal'.
"What floor were you on?" Felipe suddenly asked.
"At the hospital?"
"No, at your mother's house. Yes at the hospital idiota."
"Errr fourth floor. I came out of room 422. Why?" The wizard responded warily. His nervousness increased when he saw the shocked expression on Felipe's face. The man had quickly turned and started speaking rapidly in Spanish to Guillermo, who was simply nodding as he started at Harry.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, irritated. He hated it when people had conversations in a different language. He had always felt like the goblins were insulting him or something when they talked to each other in gobbledygook. At a single sharp nod from the 'Boss', Felipe turned back to Harry.
"Nothing is…'wrong' Harry. It's just….the fourth floor, rooms 410 to 425 is the long term coma ward…you couldn't have easily known that." He responded slowly, watching Harry's face closely.
Harry snorted in exasperation. "Well I did say I think I was in a coma. It would track that I would be there if I was….unconscious for eight months right? "At Felipe's nod Harry nodded in satisfaction.
"Well Bob's your uncle then."
Both men adopted a strange expression at Harry's comment.
"My uncle's name was Jose…." Guillermo stated plainly, causing Harry's eyes to roll.
"No…'Bob's your uncle' just means….that's that or something. Are we done with the interrogation again?" Harry asked in annoyance.
'Honestly, you would think I wasn't speaking English.' The young wizard had mentally scoffed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry let a small smile grace his lips as he remembered their confusion over his English saying. He had a lot of fun saying things that were perfectly normal, but so confusing to the Yanks. After his little rest, Harry stood back up and made his way over to the cooking station he had been working at. Cooking was a good activity for him, it allowed him to escape thinking about things for a while. In truth, it was probably the only useful skill the Dursleys had 'given' him. He picked up a handful of celery he had pre chopped and dumped it into the big vat he had simmering. Pulling the stirrer out, he tasted his concoction. It needed more salt. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he withdrew his mokeskin pouch, unfastened the leather binding, and thought about retrieving 'salt'. Placing his hand inside, he quickly retracted it, a full container of salt clenched in his fist. Humming a small tune, Harry poured some into the stew before starting to stir once more.
As he spun wooden stick round and round, he thought back to the conversation immediately following what he had playfully called his second interrogation. That one…..that conversation had put him into a depression deeper than when he lost Sirius.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: One and a half weeks ago, midday )~~~~~~~~~~~
After a few more benign questions, Guillermo had made his decision.
"Alright Harry, I think I can trust you. At least a little. It's very….convenient, your story, but I can tell you aren't lying. I ain't sure how…but I can."
"So I can ask my questions now?" Harry asked. Finally! He was going to get his chance to find out more about what was going on. At Guillermo's nod, he dove right into it.
"What happened in the past eight months?"
The Vatos leader had grimaced slightly at the question. No doubt he wasn't used to explaining everything that everyone supposedly already 'knew'.
"The world ended Harry…everything collapsed." Guillermo responded, his voice becoming thick with emotion. Normally, Harry might have picked up on that and tried to soften his approach somewhat. Now, however, he was finally getting answers. His need for any knowledge about his friends blinded him to the pain of the other two men.
"What do you mean ended? How did it happen?"
"He means ended, Harry. As in, the world stopped, civilization collapsed. Every day is a struggle to survive now." Felipe chimed in.
"As for how…we don't know. It started about seven months ago, in January. At least, here in the states it did. Before the news and internet went down, there had been confirmed cases in Europe as early as November. All we really know is, one day, the dead just got up and started eating people." Guillermo stated back into the conversation. Felipe just nodded his head sadly.
"We call them biters, or rotters. But things went downhill pretty fast after that." He had whispered in sorrow. The Vatos leader had then reached over and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
"What about the..the Governments? Why didn't they do something?" Harry asked, his voice breaking from his inner turmoil. Felipe snorted humorously at the question.
"The Governments did do some things….but everything just…ran out. Food, water, medicine, safety." Felipe had stressed, "Everything was at a premium. Getting enough food to live changed from a day to day grind to a fight to the death. Neighbor against neighbor, country against country, government against its citizens, all the while the losers died, just to come back and eat the winners. Look out the window man! The US government firebombed Atlanta!"
"Now…now everything has changed, but there are a few universal truths that still apply. The strong take from the weak and the weak are left to die." Guillermo spat, his melancholy attitude turning to anger in an instant.
"What…what about the other countries? What about England?" Harry interrupted them somewhere in the middle of takedown procedures. The two men shared another look before Guillermo had responded.
"Harry…most of Europe was the first to fall. England fell early on. The last news broadcast from the BBC was over six months ago. Before the net went down overseas, the estimates were over eighty-seven percent of England was dead or dying.
"Eighty-seven percent!?" Harry had yelled, only for Guillermo to nod in response.
"Ireland was nearly a wash and Wales was completely dead. France had collapsed into anarchy." He had continued, "That was six months ago Harry….the conditions….they didn't get better." The man said, trying to be blunt and considerate at the same time. An impossible combination, given the circumstances, but he tried none the less.
Harry had sat there in shock upon hearing the story. The two Vatos members took turns explaining how things went down, right down to the gory details. Harry's mind stuck on two important things he had learned. The world…humanity….civilization, was over, gone, destroyed by this…this…plague of the dead. It also meant…his friends could be gone. The danger they had faced in the fight against Voldemort paled in comparison to a world ending event such as this. 'Could they have survived? Surely the did survive? Right? They were magical after all. That had to have helped, right?' He had thought.
The three of them had stayed silent for some time after they had finished talking. The two Vatos members remembering the ones they had lost, silently commiserating with the boy they had just told had lost everything.
For his part, Harry was still too shocked to even cry.
'Eighty-seven percent…..six months ago!' he had cried out inside his head. The world was dead. Humanity was nearly extinct! Harry still had so many questions, questions he couldn't ask without sounding crazy. Thing like, why hadn't the magical populations of the world done something? The ICW…the American Ministry…The South African Magical Union…The Pan-Asian Magical Cooperative. Surely combined they could have stopped humanity from….from just bloody ending?
"I…I think I need some time alone." Harry managed to get out. The two men nodded their understanding. It was a lot to take in. Go into a coma one day, wake up and the whole world is broken, shattered into a million pieces. Harry made to stand up before a question he forgot popped back into his mind.
"Hey, what about my stuff? Can I get my wan…baton and bottles back?" Harry asked, covering his near slip with the first word he could come up with. Well, second word, wooden stick wouldn't have sounded impressive enough to want back.
Guillermo leaned over and picked up the bag that was sitting next to his foot. Reaching in, he pulled out Harry's wand. It appeared to be undamaged, something Harry was greatly thankful for.
"This is all we got off you, your bottles were broken." The Vatos leader said. "What is so special about this baton anyway?" He asked curiously, looking over the wood in his hands. There were no plans on keeping it from him, it wasn't even sharp! It was possible he could kill a biter by stabbing through its eye…but still, it was a very ineffective weapon.
"A...friend of my family gave it to me. It's an heirloom. I take it everywhere I go." Harry responded, trying to make it sound both important enough to want and important enough to have on him at all times…which he would, from this point on. He put his thoughts on how a two story fall could break an unbreakable vial to the back of his mind. He could think later. Guillermo simply nodded before standing up and making his way to the young man and holding out the wand. Felipe and Harry both stood as well, Harry taking the 'stick' from the short man.
"I would suggest sharpening it, it's no good against biters all blunt like that."
"Err…I'll keep that in mind." Harry responded, shoving his wand into his pants pocket. Guillermo nodded once more before whistling sharply. The door opened and Marcus stuck his head through.
"Take him to one of the better rooms. " Guillermo told Marcus before he's turned back to Harry, "Don't worry, this one has a door. " Harry gave a halfhearted smile.
"Everyone pulls their weight around here Harry. If you want to stay, you have to contribute. But we can deal with that later. Go rest, this had been a hard day for you, and it's hardly past one! Also, don't go opening any doors without an escort. " Guillermo stated, looking down at his watch. Normally, he got people working right from the start. But with this kid, he changed his procedure. Felipe didn't seem to mind considering he hadn't voiced any objection.
"I won't, thank you." Harry responded before following Marcus out of the room and down the stairs. He had thought the last request (order) had been odd, but he had much more important things on his mind at the moment. They took a new, shorter way around before Marcus stopped and pointed at a lime green door.
"This one yours." The man said.
"Thank you Marcus." Harry offered, causing the man to smile slightly and nod his acceptance. Harry turned the doorknob and opened the door before stepping in. He immediately closed it and looked around. This new room was just as drab and sparsely furnished as his other one had been. Harry noted a distinct lack of handcuffs though.
Finally, Harry made his way to the only bed in the room and sat down on its edge. His mind was overloaded with all the information and horror he had learned the past few hours. Dead rising from, well being dead, carpet firebombings, the collapse of the world, human civilization ended. It was almost too much for the young wizard. Hadn't everyone suffered enough already? He had thought Voldemort would have been the worst thing he had to suffer….apparently life had other plans.
Still, Harry had gotten his wand back, which was something. His stalwart Holly and Phoenix feather wand had seen him through thick and thin….he only hoped it would see him through this nightmare too. Now a properly armed wizard, Harry decided his first course of action was to try and locate his friends. Placing his wand in his hand, palm up, he prepared himself for the results.
"Point me Ronald Weasley." He said out loud, using Ron's full name. Hermione had said it was required for the spell to work correctly, then she had gone on then to explain why. Harry just did as he was told.
The wand tip turned red as the wand began spinning in a lazy circle, never stopping. With each revolution, Harry's stomach dropped further and further down. The spell was supposed to make the wand point in the direction of the sought person, the tip glowing white the closer one got. When it turned red, when it spun and never stopped, that meant only one thing….
"Oh Ron" Harry croaked, tears beginning to trail down his face. He closed his hand and stopped he wand's movement before casting the spell again. The wand continued to spin, red tip not stopping once. The locator spell couldn't find his best mate because….because…he was dead.
Ron was dead.
Harry felt like someone had punched him in the gut. His wand winked out as it clattered to the floor. It was so hard to breathe; the tightness in his chest was so painful. His mind instantly flashed back to the day he met Ron on the train. The two scared first years had hit it off right from the start. Sure, over their relationship they both had faltered, but in the end, there was no one else he would trust at his back. They had been brothers, he had been a part of Harry's only family he knew. Ron had even invited him to be best man at his wedding to Hermione in June. He had instantly agreed.
He cried silently for a good half hour before he felt emotionally drained. The distraught wizard looked down at his wand wondering if he should even try to find someone else, wondering if he could handle the answer. Slowly, gently, he bent over and picked his wand up again. Placing it back in his up turned hand he prepared himself as best he could.
"Point me Herm…Molly Weasley" Harry couldn't stand to have lost another friend. Even if it wouldn't change the outcome…he just couldn't know.
He couldn't stop the anguished cry that escaped him when the wand tip once again lit red and spun without stopping in the palm of his hand.
"No…no it can't be. Point me George Weasley" The spell resulted in the same reaction. Red tipped and constantly spinning.
"No…How…" Harry couldn't think….the only family he had ever loved…gone..
But wait! Maybe something was wrong with the magic! Harry perked up instantly at the memory of his scourgify failing to completely remove the blood and guts from his clothes.
"Point me Harry Potter." He cast. The wand spun immediately towards him, tip glowing bright white. Harry frowned at the spell working as intended.
"Point me Guillermo." He tried, not knowing the Vatos leader's last name. Instead, he pictured the man's face in his mind. The wand spun once before pointing off to the right, basically in the direction of the cafeteria. The green eyed wizard watched as the wand moved its position slightly, following the target.
Harry quickly canceled the spell, sucking in a ragged breath. The spell was working correctly….which meant…
"Merlin" Harry cried, his tears beginning to come anew. That brief second of hope he had, had been shattered like the mirror in his first year.
His family really was dead.
"Point…point me Author Weasley." Harry said quietly. The tears dripping off his face and onto his hand didn't impede the slowly spinning, red glowing wand.
"Oh God! Ginny! Point me Ginny!" the young boy yelled, stopping the wand before casting the spell again. He shut his eyes and prayed, prayed to anything that would listen that his wand would stop glowing red. Sure he had broken up with her….and they hadn't really picked up where they had left things. But he still cared for her deeply. She was his friend, a member of his family… He stared at his wand, watching its red glowing deathspin. The Weasley clan…gone, dead while he….while he slept for Merlin sakes! How could this have happened!?
"Please….please, point me Hermione Weasley." He whispered, wishing harder than he had ever wished for anything before in his life. He had missed their wedding….he hadn't been there for his two best friend's most important moment…but he still hoped he could make it to her before…..
Harry let his agonized sobs out completely when the wand glowed red before uninterruptedly revolving. He threw his wand across the room before collapsing back onto the bed. Exhausted, mentally and emotionally, numb, and all alone, the wizarding savior cried himself to sleep. He wouldn't awaken for close to thirty six hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry had a bad few days after that. It was only later that he realized that he was an exception to the standard procedure. Normally, people got right to work 'doing their part'. But Harry had been left alone for close to two days. One thing going in his favor was his refusal to eat any food. Taking up no resources, no one complained that he had gotten 'special treatment'. He could almost hear Snape saying in his best condescending voice, "Always above the rules, aren't you Potter?" Hunger finally got him out of his funk, forcing him to leave the safety of 'his' room and rejoin the world…as shattered as it was.
When he had left his room about midday, two days after his talk with Guillermo, he had grabbed his wand on the way out. He didn't even pause to think about seeing if the spell would locate Teddy. He couldn't bare the answer, he just wasn't strong enough. Maybe…maybe he could try it later.
Apparently, news that he had been given 'the talk' had traveled fast. As he entered the more populated cafeteria he had a lot more people nod at him in respect, many remembering the day they realized nothing would ever be the same.
After a brief lunch, Harry had hunted down Felipe in order to find out what he could do. He had learned over the summer after his fourth year that he didn't do well when he dwelled on things. Right now, he had more than enough issues that would make him go insane, if he had the time to stew over them. Harry just needed some time to…to cope with what he now knew.
In the end, there had been little that needed done that day, so Harry helped to clean up the kitchen and cafeteria after the midday meal. He had gotten partnered with the teen boy, Miguel he learned, that he had seen on his first day there. Even he must have picked up on Harry's mood, not saying anything about their last encounter.
It was through him that Harry learned how badly off the Vatos were. They were running out of everything really. Medical supplies for injuries, ammo for the guns, and food. Food seemed to be their worst problem, they were running out fast. Miguel had told him the food Felipe and Jorge (the other man who saved him) had brought wouldn't last a day and a half. Harry was gobsmaked at that. Thirty cans of food wouldn't last four meals? While his portion hadn't been very large, he hadn't seen anyone with more food than he had gotten. At the time, Harry was fairly impressed at how even everything had appeared.
How could they go through so much food? He had only seen maybe a total of ten people. It was three days later, about a week with the Vatos that he learned he learned what was happening.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: One and a half weeks ago, morning )~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry had officially been on cooking duty for thirty five minutes. Even though they were mostly 'safe' inside, people didn't make a lot of noise. The fear of attracting the dead was always in the back of people's mind.
So when the door banged open loudly, shattering the near silence, Harry was rightfully startled. He turned around, ready to tell off the hungry bloke wanting to know about the food he was expecting. Instead, what he found was an elderly lady looking slightly panicked.
"You're not Felipe." She stated.
"No…I'm Harry."
"I need sugar, it's an emergency!" She practically yelled. Harry, not knowing the woman or what she was talking about turned and headed towards where he had last seen the sugar packets. He might not know what was going on, but she did say emergency.
"What's wrong? " Harry asked as he opened up the pantry.
"It's Mr. Andrews. He's having an episode. " The old lady replied, calming down slightly after seeing him helping. Finding the small stack of packets, Harry removed half and turned back towards the lady. Before he had a chance to ask another question she beckoned with her hand before turning and walking off. Harry lurched forward, not anticipating her sudden departure. He exited the kitchen just in time to see her go around a corner.
'Fast old bat' he thought as he practically sprinted to catch up. He found her waiting for him next to a door he hadn't been through before.
"What kind of an episode are you talking about? How will sugar help"? He questioned.
"He's diabetic. His blood sugar is low, come on." She responded while opening the door and walking through. Harry followed a few steps before he stopped. He was standing inside some type of auditorium, surrounded by old people. And not just 'aged' people, old, old people. His first thoughts went immediately to Headmaster Dumbledore. He had been the oldest man Harry had ever seen. Now though…..
Harry had his thoughts broken when the old lady grabbed him by the arm and drug him towards a man laying on his back. Once beside him, the lady let Harry go and started at him expectantly.
Harry tried to articulate how he didn't know the first thing to treating a man in diabetic shock.
"Uhh…." Was all he could get out, unfortunately.
"The sugar, the sugar boy! Put the sugar in his mouth. Under his tongue!" The elderly lady commanded. He felt all of three years old as he complied with her order. Ripping open a packet, he opened the unresponsive man's mouth gently before pouring the sugar under and on the man's tongue.
"Do another one, he needs two."
"I'm not sure…." Harry started to protest before being cut off.
"He's needed two before, so give him two!"
Sighing, Harry did as instructed. About thirty seconds after the second packet, Mr. Andrews' eyes began to flutter and open for brief moments. Harry took several steps back when Mr. Andrew's beside was swarmed with worried looking elderly, all talking at the same time. Looking around, he counted at least twenty old aged pensioners in the room.
'So that's where the food is going…I never would have guessed.' Harry thought, a bemused smile on his face. This was certainly not a situation he had expected when he woke up this morning. At first, he had thought Guillermo and his leadership was taking more food than the others. Harry hadn't been convinced that was what was going on though. The man just…he didn't seem the type. Now though, now he knew. He was about to ask a few questions before he was roughly grabbed from behind and spun around.
Guillermo, Felipe, Marcus, and two other Vatos members were all armed and all were glaring hard at him.
'Well bollocks' he thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following conversation had been fairly nerve wracking. After he had been hustled out of the room by the four men, Felipe having stayed behind to check on Mr. Andrews, he was immediately cornered with all manner of firearm pointed at his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: A week and a half ago, morning )~~~~~~~~~~~
"I told you not to wander Harry…." Guillermo started, his tone harder than Harry had heard before. Harry held his hands up in surrender and appeared as non-threatening as possible. He recognized the glint in the man's eyes for what it was. Protectiveness.
"I didn't wander," Harry started, "that lady came in and said there was an emergency. She was looking for Felipe, but he had changed shifts with me…so I was there and I helped. End of story"
Guillermo and the others glared at Harry for several moments. Meanwhile, the green eyed wizard hadn't taken his gaze off the Vatos leader. He knew, from personal experience, how irrational people could be when they were protecting something they cared about. Hell, Harry had stormed the Ministry and fought Voldemort's inner circle because he thought Sirius was in danger.
"I wouldn't hurt them Guillermo…" Harry offered. Guillermo only glared in return, his finger still on the trigger to the pistol he held in his face.
"What do you think then?" he asked after several heartbeats.
"What do I think of what? " Harry questioned, slightly bewildered.
"What do you think about the situation? About the old people?" Guillermo demanded.
"I think…" Harry started, pausing to formulate his response, "I think I now know why your food is running out so quick." He finished, saying the first thing that came into his head. The four Vatos members' harsh glares were replaced with confusion.
"What?" The Vatos leader asked.
"Err…well Miguel told me the food that had been brought back on a trip, thirty cans or something, wouldn't even last two days. I couldn't figure out why….now I know."
"That's it?" Guillermo asked, his tone hard once more.
"Uhhh…yeah? What else should there be?"
"Nothing else? No complaint we are 'wasting' resources? You don't want to let them fend for themselves? No 'they are weighing us down?'" He demanded harshly, his accent getting thicker as he spoke.
Harry just stood there with a disgusted expression.
"Bloody hell no, I don't think any of those things. What do you take me for?" Harry demanded back, irritated at the assumptions these men were making. They may have saved him, but he would be damned if he let anyone even think he would abandon innocents.
"You wouldn't be the first! Others have, some still do." He responded, causing Harry's irritation to completely deflate. It finally had dawned on him what was going on. They were afraid, of what, Harry didn't completely know, but he could see it now. Protectiveness and fear…a perfect combination for overreactions. But still, Harry could understand now where Guillermo was coming from. Others had said those things, and, in reality, the Vatos didn't really know Harry that well.
Harry lowered his hands and glared fiercely before speaking.
"I don't understand this world yet…or my place in it. But I do know, with every fiber of my bloody being, that I would never do any of those things. I would never stand by and let innocents suffer and die. I haven't before, and I sure as shite won't start now!" the Boy Savior said seriously, his 'saving people thing' and Gryffindor courage empowering his statement.
For a brief second, less time than the blink of an eye, Guillermo could have sworn he saw the teen's eyes glow. When his mind caught up to the though, the glow was gone. The Vatos leader couldn't truly swear that he saw it, it was over that quick.
His words were effective though, causing Marcus and the two unnamed Vatos members to look in Guillermo's direction. Almost immediately he had nodded and everyone lowered their guns. Harry's breathy sigh was almost amused.
"Is this going to be a common occurrences 'Ermo?" Harry asked with a crooked smile. The man in question smirked while the other three snorted at the irony of the question.
"Naw Harry…we had to be sure, you understand?" He asked, Harry only nodded in return. He watched as Guillermo drug a hand through his hair, waving the others away.
"We have to be careful Harry, I wasn't kidding when I said the strong still take from the weak. We've had to fight off attacks before…one just a few days before you came around." Guillermo continued, the apology, while unspoken, was clear in the other man's eyes.
Harry simply smiled and bumped his shoulder into the shorter man before tracking back towards the kitchen.
"I get it, you're protecting them. To be honest, I am glad this happened." Harry said, enjoying the look of total confusion on the older man's face.
"Why? Are you loco or do you like guns shoved in your face?" He asked, incredulously.
Harry laughed as he started walking into the kitchen.
"No, I don't like that," he said over his shoulder, "No…I thought you or your guys were taking more food than the others. You know, 'privileges' and such. I should have guessed, you're too skinny to be stealing food!" Harry finished with a laugh, entering the kitchen. He shut the door to Guillermo's loud laughter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything changed after that incident. Harry and Abuela, the woman who had drug him to save Mr. Andrews, got along famously. Since he was 'in the know' now, the Vatos gang was able to get back to their normal routine and she loved to work in the kitchen. He had even gotten on Miguel's good side, despite their first meeting. That had been easy really. After volunteering to cook the meals for the week, Harry had started teaching Miguel how to cook. He had actually taught a few members, but Miguel was always there when Harry was cooking. Apparently he was a 'good teacher', Harry suspected Miguel came around so much because he let him 'taste test' the food that he was cooking. They still had a good time making fun of each other's accents, but it had transformed from insult to inside joke.
The sudden change in the Vatos had surprised Harry, really. He wouldn't have pictured the Vatos gang as being welcoming to people who couldn't do much more than take up resources, of which there were precious few. What it had proven to Harry was that, even though the world went tits up and civilization fell, there were still good people out there.
It gave Harry hope that he would find some of his friends. He still hadn't found the strength to check for others with the locator spell, he was still trying to process the emotions from the first time he cast it. Little by little, he was able to come to grips with the harsh reality he now faced. That hadn't stopped him from crying himself to sleep multiple nights, however.
In the meantime, things were looking up for the Vatos. Once Harry had all the facts and Guillermo accepted his stance about the old ones, he had been allowed to move freely through the compound. It hadn't clicked until a day, after the 'reveal' Harry liked to call it, that he had a huge amount of supplies that could help. His trunk held a fully stocked kitchen as well as the bag of medical supplies he had found. The problem was, how could he utilize both without drawing attention to his magic?
Harry imagined the reaction he would get if he walked into the kitchen with a bag full of fresh groceries….
'Yeah….not going to happen.'
In the end, Harry had come up with the perfect solution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback: Eight days ago)~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry had finally convinced Guillermo to let him go on a supply run. He was sure the man was suspicious of his behavior but he allowed Harry to go anyway. The wizard knew he was placing a strain on his recently developed trust with the Vatos leader…but if he played it right then everything would work out in the end.
He had ended up being teamed with Felipe, Marcus, and a member named Samuel. At dawn he had been issued a long K-Bar knife, a bag, and a flashlight before the four of them had headed out into the city. Around half way into the trip, Harry had asked if they could take a detour and head over to where Felipe and Jorge had found him. After some begging and a few promises that it would be quick, Felipe agreed, but only after the main run was done.
As it inched closer and closer to nighttime, the four man supply team arrived near the Atlanta General hospital with only a little light left in the day, which suited Harry perfectly. As the three other men got out and began searching, Harry snuck off into one of the many abandoned buildings in the area. Making sure he was alone and the area was free of biters Harry still chose to be cautious. Pulling out his wand, he cast the Notice-Me-Not charm, just to be safe. He then immediately unsrunk his trunk and opened it.
After taking out the bag of various medical supplies he had found in the hospital, he closed the lid and pushed his wand into the first wandhole. When he opened the lid for the second time his kitchen came into view. Harry spent a fair amount of time deciding on what to take out that wouldn't look too suspicious. In the end, he settled on only removing the decidedly muggle food containers and muggle preserved snacks. Snapping open his bag, he started pulling as many cans out as he could safely carry. He owed a lot to the Vatos, and he never broke his word. If he had the means, he would help people as much as possible.
As he piled the cans into the bag the sun continued to lower, sinking the entire city in eerie darkness. Getting worried about the time he was away, Harry pulled one last handful of cans out before snapping the trunk shut and shrinking it again. It was then that Harry heard a bottle clink against the concrete floor. Muttering a quick lumos charm caused Harry to pale when the light revealed exactly what had disturbed the bottle.
Six biters were shambling towards Harry's position. Frantically, he recounted how loud he had been. He hadn't made that much noise! And the coast had been clear, there were no biters in sight when he started!
His panic abated somewhat when he remembered that he had cast the Notice-Me-Not charm. Even animals were subjected to the effects of the spell. These biters would be too….right? Harry didn't want to stand around and find out. Tucking his trunk back under his shirt, he cast a quick Silenco on his feet before he moved over to once side, believing that the slow biters would continue to where they last heard him making noise.
Harry's panic renewed itself when the biters turned towards him and picked up speed.
'What!?' he screamed in his head while unstrapping his loaned knife. He remembered the issue he faced in the stairwell and, now that he had another means of killing biters, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
Harry braced himself for combat, wand in the left hand and knife in the right, his adrenalin coursing through his veins. The first biter, the faster of the six it seemed, was within arms reach a few seconds later. Holding his knife in a death grip, he threw his arm out quick, burying the knife in the biter's skull. He nearly heaved at the sound of bone and rotted brain squishing and the oozing goo that started to come out around the knife straightaway. In his adrenaline filled panic, Harry had made a critical mistake that Marcus had warned him about when discussing biter fighting.
Never put the blade in too far.
Now, Harry had to struggle to remove the knife from the skull of the terminated biter. After the first pull had failed, Harry took no additional chances and quickly put his left hand on the biter's head. As he pushed with the left and pulled with the right his wand light began to flicker, going dim before powering back up again.
With a sickening squelch, the knife finally came free of the dead skull. It wasn't a moment too soon either as three of the remaining five biters advanced within arm range. Backing up and to the side, he put some distance between him and two of the other walkers, leaving only one within striking distance. Lashing out, Harry managed to eliminate the biter without getting his knife stuck again.
As Harry stared down the remaining four biters, the calvary arrived in the form of Samuel and Marcus. The two veteran biter killers made short work of the four walking dead. It was easier for them since the biters had been focused on Harry. He quickly extinguished his wand light before he let out the breath he had been holding. He started to cancel his other charms when Samuel's gravelly voice stole his attention.
"What the hell wer you thinking, going off by 'erself" Samuel whispered furiously, shocking Harry. He hadn't had time to cancel his Notice-Me-Not charm or the Silenco….they shouldn't be...well noticing him. But sure enough, Marcus was glaring at him while Samuel sneered.
"Wha' were you looking for yur buddies? Huh? Gunna betray us rat!?" Samuel continued, taking a step closer to Harry. Marcus held out a hand to stop Samuel's advance, not taking his eyes off of the young wizard.
"What you doing Harry?" Marcus asked in his broken English. Confused and more than a little concerned, Harry figured honesty was the only thing appropriate at this point.
"I…uh…was getting my supplies. I found em before Felipe found me and I..uhh…" Harry stuttered adrenalin, shock, and concern about his magic messing with his articulation skills. Marcus was still staring at him with a hard gaze.
"I…I didn't trust you all until recently….I stashed some supplies I found in the hospital and I…well I know you need them so…I came to get them." Harry finished, gesturing to the two bags on the floor.
Ok…so mostly the truth. It hurt Harry a little to lie to Marcus, the man had turned out to be a decent guy. He felt like crap when he saw the hurt expression on Marcus' face before he turned to look at the bags.
"Lets get then." He finally said, grabbing the heavier of the two bags. Harry rushed forward and picked up the second one before following Marcus back to the truck, Samuel following closely behind.
The ride back had been silent save for a short conversation in Spanish between Felipe and Marcus.
When they got back to base, Harry and Samuel unloaded the truck while, Marcus and Felipe took Harry's two bags and talked with Guillermo, who had looked into both bags with a frown. Shortly before finishing, Guillermo called Samuel over. The surly man was only with the other three for a few minutes before he sent a glare back over at Harry and walking off. After the unloading was done, Harry approached the three men with a little trepidation. He had barely opened his mouth when Guillermo held up his hand.
"I thought we had trust amigo." He started, his face betraying the hurt he had felt. The man had come to like Harry and his wit. He was a hard worker and his little speech after learning about the old ones and made the man respect Harry, which was hard to accomplish so soon.
"Look, I get it ok? Marcus told me. You didn't trust us. I get it, I do. We lock you up, stick guns in your face, several times. I get it. But running off in the middle of the night? That's a wound Harry, a wound."
"Look I didn't want…" Harry stated before being interrupted.
"What's yours is yours Harry, we don't take. We aren't like the looters. You don't have to worry about your stuff, its yours so you keep it." He said, resignation in his voice. They really could use those supplies…but he would be damned if he became like the looters who have hounded them in the past. He ran something better here and he wouldn't mess it up, would not take that one step down a slippery slope. His internal monologue was interrupted by Harry's frustrated sound.
"Raagh! That's not it at all 'Ermo! Not in the slightest!" Harry practically yelled. He had it all wrong! Bah! How could his plan have turned into this?
"I wasn't running away! I was getting the supplies you need! I told Marcus, I didn't trust you guys until recently. Look I'm sorry alright?" Harry quickly apologized upon seeing the hurt on all three men's faces.
"It's just, you told me the world ended and…things are different now. Your speech about doing the right thing, well it was all just words before I found out about the old timers. Then, then I knew you could be trusted, that you were honorable men." Harry explained in a rush. "So I got put on the supply team and convinced Felipe to take me back near the hospital. Everything in those bags is yours. I was going to explain where I got the stuff to you but…things happened." He finished lamely.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? " Guillermo asked after a short silence.
"I didn't know it was still there did I?" Harry quickly fibbed, "I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."
The three Vatos members looked intently at Harry, searching for any sign of deception. Harry did his best to show how he really felt, pleading with his eyes. That was one good thing about how expressive Harry's face was. It was difficult for him to lie, but his sincerity always showed up on his face.
"All of this…is for us?" Guillermo hesitantly asked. He hadn't' seen any sign of Harry being insincere, but this was a lot of supplies…a gold mine, a minor miracle.
"Yeah mate, it's all Vatos'. There are about forty super-sized food cans, fifteen or so bags of jerky and about thirty packets of crisps….errr chips? Chips." Harry replied earnestly, causing all three men's eyes to go wide. Harry didn't mind the amount, which had only been about a quarter of his muggle supplies. He had been afraid that the amount might become suspicious, so he limited himself from giving half his food away.
"I'm not sure what all medical supplies are in the bag, I just grabbed everything I could find. But it's all yours."
The three Vatos members were openly staring at Harry now. Under normal circumstances, they would have been suspicious of such generosity but, because it was Harry, they knew it was genuine. Harry began to shift nervously under the attention. Guillermo caught on to his discomfort and quickly tried to break the tension.
"Thank you Harry, Thank you." He said, the words unsuccessfully conveying the gratitude he and his companions felt.
Harry's wide smile showed that he had gotten the message loud and clear. The new supplies were immediately counted and put safely away and laughter could be heard deep into the night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Flashback End)~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been eight days after that event and Harry had been cooking ever since. In reality, most of the Vatos members either didn't know how to cook, or were physically unable to anymore. That had left a very bland menu consisting of mostly broth and anything they could catch. Two days after Harry started cooking he had been permanently assigned to kitchen duty. That suited him fine really, allowing him to dip into how own supplies to cook, lessening the strain on the Vatos' supplies.
Not that they needed to know that. Miguel had learned to be quite about the 'abnormalities' he saw on a semi constant basis. One time Harry had pulled a truffle out of his pocket before giving it to Miguel. Oh yes…he kept quite, he didn't want anyone interfering with the little treats he got now and then.
Thinking about Miguel brought Harry back to the present and a frown formed on his face. He had learned that Felipe and Jorge had been on a supply run and that Miguel had gone with them, only for them to be ambushed after finding some guns. Harry had been trying to get Miguel interested in doing runs, if only for him to get the experience to survive later.
He was now kicking himself because Miguel was missing. Kidnaped! And Felipe had been injured. They had returned with one of the ambushers around midday yesterday, so Harry had been stuck in the kitchen. He had only learned about it from, surprise surprise, Samuel. The two never did get along after the supply run incident. Harry didn't care much though, he rarely saw him and he never complained about the food. He hadn't been able to talk to Felipe or Jorge either. They had both gone back out almost immediately to look for the captured member. Guillermo hadn't let him anywhere near their prisoner. Smart man, that Guillermo.
Still, Harry was worried for both new friends and old. He hadn't been involved in a looter attack yet but he had heard the horror stories. To think that Miguel was in their hands, or his magical friends….Harry wished he could do something. He would have tried, if Felipe and Jorge hadn't captured a hostage. He wouldn't lose another friend without trying his damnedest to save them. They had some leverage at least. Harry sighed as he continued to stir. Half an hour later he looked up when he heard the door open, only to see a small, young Asian boy enter the kitchen followed closely by Marcus.
Suspecting they had a new member, Harry stated the conversation with the most logical question.
"Who are you…." Ok, so it was a little rude. They had just interrupted his cooking.
"You're British?" He blurted out, his face showing his surprise. The young Asian quickly composed himself.
"Sorry. Uhh I'm Glenn. With two Ns" The Asian, Glenn, said a nervous smile on his slightly colored face. Ahhh…yes, embarrassment and nerves. Harry remembered what it was like being the new guy here.
"I'm Harry." He responded with a smile, trying to be warm and welcoming, "and British, yes. I would shake your hand but I'm cooking. Where did you come from Glenn? I haven't seen you before."
"I uhh, came in with two other guys?"
"Well, welcome. Felipe found you?" Harry asked.
"Maybe…I didn't catch their names…" Glenn replied, shifting nervously. A lot more nervous than he should be…
"Describe them then. It could have been Jorge, or Carlito." Harry half asked, half demanded with narrowed eyes. Something was off.
"Errr well I don't know…I didn't look at his face…oh he had an arrow stuck in his butt!" Glenn replied, slightly less nervous at the end.
Harry stopped stirring.
The dots immediately connected in Harry's brain. His worry over his friends, both new and old and made him slow on the uptake. He could have punched himself in the face. He glanced quickly at Marcus and noted his strong frown.
'Yep….' Harry thought, 'This isn't a new member.'
"….You shot Felipe with an arrow?" he growled, glaring at the Asian boy.
"No! No, the other guy in our group, Daryl, he's the one with the bow!" The Asian, Glenn, responded hastily, waving his hands in front of him as if to ward off the insinuation.
'A person named Daryl huh?' Harry thought, mentally putting said person automatically onto his 'Hex their bollocks off' list.
"So you are a part of the group that shot Felipe…." Drawled, doing a decent impression of Draco in their younger years. He even had the eyebrow raised. It worked exceedingly well too, if the tenfold increase in nervous twitches from Glenn was any indication.
"Errr….I don't think I should have said that…."
"The same group that took the guns…" Harry continued.
"Hey now, we found them first…." Glenn tried to reason, only to fall silent from the pointed glare Harry sent his way.
"The same group that kidnaped Miguel…."
"Um…I don't really want to answer that one. The kid right? They won't hurt him. We aren't like that!"
Harry looked over at Marcus, who shrugged. He had a grim expression on his face as he looked at the Asian boy. Harry turned back to glare at this…Glenn.
…..
…...
"I don't think I like you very much, Glenn with two Ns." Harry concluded, restarting his stirring.
"Yeah, I've been getting that recently. " Glenn responded in dejection.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A/N
And DONE! Whoo! Glenn is there! And poor Felipe….and Miguel! Harry is not a happy wizard…no he is not. I wonder what he is going to do when Rick comes in almost guns a blazin? Will Harry be at the confrontation? What will happen? I don't know! The story is writing its self!
I hope everyone liked this chapter. It's the longest one I have written and my first try at a flashback sequence. I will try not to use these too often but, just like in the Walking Dead, they will happen. I also think that I got rid of most of the errors. I couldn't spot any after the third run though. So sorry if I missed some!
Read and Review please! I really want to know what people thought of the chapter. Lets see if we can break 40 reviews! All comments are welcome. Except flames…I don't want them. Send me a PM if you want to flame me.
Shout out to reviewers:
Alice1985: I appreciate the review! All your questions and ideas are good….but I can't tell you anything yet! This chapter touches upon some of it….but who knows….there might be more than meets the eye! Stay tuned!
Fraewyn: Thanks for the review! This chapter explained some of your question….but did it explain everything? Who knows! Stay tuned!
Uoduck: Thanks for the review Uoduck! Always a pleasure!
SimFlyer: Thanks for the review! Yeah, some things about Harry's magic is explained in this chapter. But remember, Harry was never one to know much about magic itself. Sure he knows spells, but magical theory and some of its core concepts are things he just doesn't understand. He was raised by muggles, after all! That and we never really saw him studying enough.
fmoura98: Thanks a bunch man! I appreciate you reviewing. Hopefully, the story can keep up the same atmosphere as the show does. I am trying to keep the same buildup, so tell me how that worked out. I hope you like this new chapter!
Angel4EverLostInLife: Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoyed this new chapter!
AnarchicMuse: Glad you are enjoying the story! I purposefully left that hanging at the end of chapter two. Like most Walking Dead episodes, something happens and the Group doesn't know who is responsible right away. So I tried to keep things like that here.
Double thanks for the warning about the word 'zombie'! I took that into consideration but didn't really think about how NOT hearing the word just makes it….so much more scary. I don't want it like this. " What the hell are they? OH…zombies….yawn." I want it more like this. "What the hell are they? F*ck if I know! RUN! MAN RUN!"
While the cat was out of the bag, as it were, when Harry called them zombies in chapters one and two, I feel that NOT using the word from now on will cause the same mysterious feeling to settle over the entire story. After all, the HP world has inferi, and Harry personally had interaction with them.
Yeong-wook: That's again for reviewing! I appreciate it. I hope Harry finds Teddy soon too.
darkest magic: Thanks for the reviewing again! You may be on the right track….but I can't tell you anything! No hints! Sorry! The elder wand will be dealt with later though. Just not yet!
lOoWardyoOl: Thanks for the review! I am glad you liked it AND found it to be one of the better ones out there. I am very appreciative of your kind words. When I approached the story, I didn't want it to be like most of the others, wham, bam, Harry is in Rick's group I wanted it to be different. Stay tuned though, I have a whole BUNCH of twists I am going to throw around. Hopefully everyone will like them.
Also, you were the twentieth reviewer! Thanks a lot! My goal has been met, so here is a fresh batch of internet cookies for you!
languid reader: Hey thanks for the review! I would have sent you a PM but you didn't login, so I couldn't. And you were my twenty first review too! Thanks a whole bunch!