Death, Decay, and Diffindo

by He-Who-Shall-Live

Things were looking good for Harry Potter. His nemesis was defeated, the war was won. Everything was slowly getting better until, on a routine Auror training trip to the states, the last Potter falls into an inexplicable coma. Now, eight months later, Harry awakens to a shattered world. Picking up the pieces, Harry sets out to find answers and, more importantly, his friends.

5. An Unexpected Meeting

A/N

Hey there readers! Here is the new chapter! I hope you all like it. A 13K+ chapter WOOO! My longest one yet!

We almost reached the 40 review mark! With this chapter, let's try and hit 50 total! Yeah! Go team! Go team!

So anyway, don't forget to read and review if you feel like it!

Without further interruptions, on with the story!

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:

"So you are a part of the group that shot Felipe…" He 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 were 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.

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Harry hadn't talked much to Glenn after the first conversation one day ago. His mind was on other things and, in all honesty, he was pretty pissed off. Having been kidnapped before, he really hadn't wanted anyone else to suffer the same thing he had. Granted, that was wishful thinking and not really possible…But to have it happen to a friend? An innocent young boy at that?

Harry was most displeased. To add to his unhappiness, he couldn't do anything to Glenn. Aside from the fact that they needed him as a hostage, Harry really didn't get the feeling Glenn was a bad person. That made Harry's position all the more irritating. He had nothing to lash out at.

"Keep cleaning Glenn… I want this whole place spotless and shiny!" Harry barked from the other side of the kitchen.

Okay, so maybe he could lash out a little. He grinned at little as he heard the Asian interloper huff in irritation before getting back to scrubbing the ground. Thinking back… maybe he had been too hard on Filch. Watching people scrub the floor WAS fun, after all.

The thought of Hogwarts instantly triggered a random memory of his friends and the antics they had been a part of, instantly replacing his happiness with sadness. As bad as it sounded, he had tried to… Just not think about some things from his past. The pain at remembering…He honestly didn't think he could feel worse than he did when Sirius died.

Harry shook his head, trying to physically clear the thoughts from his mind. He had more immediate things to worry about right now. Namely the possible impending attack, or cold-blooded murder of the youngest Vatos member.

'Which brings me back to Glenn' Harry thought. It had taken a full day for Harry to calm down after meeting Glenn for the first time. He had finished preparing the meal, only to stalk out of the kitchen to hunt down Guillermo. The Vatos leader explained that he immediately knew that if they didn't use their hostage as a laborer, it would be a waste. The problem was, Guillermo had to be carefully when dealing with Glenn; he had to control the information the Asian compiled. It wouldn't do to have Glenn learn potentially damaging information, only to run off and tell his friends. The decision ended up being to force Glenn to do the cleaning…

That being said, there was only one place that didn't have any sensitive information…The kitchens. Both a blessing and a curse. Harry had to suffer being in the man's presence. On the flip side, it gave Harry a chance to interrogate the man, which was good.

Through his questions, Harry was able to ascertain the man's age. He had been calling him 'boy' in his mind when he was actually older than Harry! Another tidbit the boy savior had learned was Glenn's last name. Glenn Rhee….

After all the oddly named people he had met in the Wizarding World….'Rhee' wasn't that bad, in the long run. Gilderoy Lockhart….enough said.

But that was it. It seemed, after several days in captivity and after Harry's first conversation with him, Glenn had clammed up. He couldn't get any more information out of him. Which was smart, really. It infuriated Harry….but he couldn't deny the benefits of not informing your 'enemy' of possible vital information. Harry wanted…needed information, needed to know if Miguel really was safe as Glenn had claimed. With the Asian's silence however… well regardless, he was going to get his information one way or another.

All these factors combined had led Harry to the plan he was currently in the process of completing. He excused himself from the kitchen for a trip to the bathroom, letting Marcus continue his over watch of the hostage. He returned a few minutes later.

Harry sighed before clearing his throat and addressing Marcus.

"I can watch over him for a little while Marcus. Take a break, you must be bored stiff!"

Marcus opened his mouth to respond, only for him to suddenly yawn widely.

"Don't worry big guy, go take a rest. He isn't going anywhere." Harry continued with a small smile on his face.

"Gracias Harry." Marcus responded with a small grin of his own. Harry just made a shooing motion, a command Marcus readily accepted. Once the door clicked shut, he turned back to the Vatos' captive.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Can't be wasting medical supplies on a dehydrated prisoner now can we." Harry said in a reasonable and authoritative voice. Glenn looked up from his position on all fours with a brief smile. The smile soon vanished at the hard look Harry was giving him.

"Go sit on the stool Glenn, and stay where I can see you." Harry said as he pointed towards a stool in the corner of the room. It was as far away from everything sharp as you could realistically get inside a kitchen. Once the Asian hostage was seated, Harry picked up a clean glass off the counter and filled it with water. Turning, Harry only took his eyes briefly off Glenn before he was in view again. The young wizard wasn't concerned about being attacked from behind by Glenn; he was more concerned about keeping the glass of water out of the hostage's view for a moment.

Slowly walking over, Harry stopped outside of arm's length before putting the glass down and backing away. Glenn seemed saddened by his cautiousness and his face showed it. He probably wasn't used to people being afraid of him. Who would be afraid of the short, soft-spoken Korean anyway? Harry made a small gesture with his hand that had Glenn instantly taking the glass and guzzling the water. He had been working hard on scrubbing the floor and had worked up a strong thirst.

Harry looked on with a smile as Glenn drained the glass. Glenn put the glass back down when it was empty and smiled back at Harry.

"Thanks Harry." He said sincerely. It may have been small, but it was still a kindness.

"It was more for my benefit than yours but you are welcome regardless." Harry responded, watching Glenn intently. The young Asian man was slightly confused by his current minder's comment. What would he get out of watching him drink a glass of water? Did he have a fetish or something?

But man was he sleepy. He must have worked harder than he thought.

"I must've done more than I thought." He said out loud, slurring his speech ever so little. Harry only smirked in response.

'Perfect'

"So Glenn, did you shoot Felipe?" Harry asked conversationally.

"No, wasn't me." Glenn responded, his eyes slightly glassy.

Harry frowned in though as he decided which question to ask next.

'Better to double check everything'

"Okay…who shot Felipe?" Harry asked.

"Daryl shot him."

'Well at least I have confirmation on who to hex silly. Best to triple check to be sure it's working. Control questions…control questions…' Harry pondered. He suddenly had an idea, and an evil smile formed on his lips.

"How often do you play with yourself?"

"Almost every night." Glenn responded in a trance.

"Why did I tell you that?" He asked groggily, as if he was still waking up from a dream.

Harry ignored his question. He was the one doing the interrogation, after all.

"Are you a virgin?"

"Yes" His eyes were still very glassy with a faraway look in them.

"Why did I tell you THAT?" He asked again, slight concern apparent in his voice.

"What were you doing in the city?" The wizard asked, causing his captive to enter a trance like state again.

"We were looking for our guns and Daryl's brother." The Asian man responded before turning his head sluggishly to look at Harry.

"What's happening?" He whimpered.

"What's Daryl's brother's name?"

"Merle." The Asian responded.

"I didn't want to say that…" Glenn said confusedly to himself.

Harry didn't pay attention to Glenn's discomfort as he pondered the information he was getting. 'Merle and Daryl huh? Brothers… Two to watch out for most certainly'

"Do your friends have Miguel?" The green-eyed wizard asked next.

"I don't know." Glenn responded. Harry noticed his eyes got slightly less glassy and his answer was much quicker.

'The effects must be wearing off! I only had enough for one dose!'

"Assume they did have him. What would they do to him?" Harry demanded.

"Not much."

"Elaborate." Harry growled. The answers were getting less informative.

"I don't know."

'Damn it all!' Harry raged in his head. He was pants at potions. He should have listened to his instructor and bought the damn thing instead of trying to make it himself.

"Will they hurt him?" Harry asked, frustration evident in his voice. Time was running out and he still needed more answers!

"No! We aren't like that." Glenn responded forcibly. But could Harry believe it? Were the effects still active? Only one way to be sure…

"How many people are in your group?" Harry demanded with a glare.

"33, five of us in the city, the rest back at camp" Glenn responded, fear slowly creeping into his drowsy eyes.

"Stop… I can't… My friends…" He said, slurring his words brokenly.

"How many of your members have guns?" Harry continued relentlessly.

"Less than 12…."

"Who is your leader?"

"Shane…or Rick…I." Glenn started before struggling to screw his mouth shut…and keep it shut. The look of confusion was slowly being replaced with fear and astonishment. Harry knew that the potion would do no more good now; Glenn had already started to fight the effects. The young wizard moved quickly to Glenn's side before prying open the Asian's mouth and pouring the antidote in.

Glenn fell asleep near instantaneously. Normally, administering the antidote only caused the witch or wizard to fall into a light doze. But with Muggles…the antidote nearly always knocked them unconscious, which turned out to be a good thing really. It was so much easier to question a muggle and have the end result be that they thought it had only been a dream. And, honestly, what muggle would willingly talk about dreams where they spilled their 'innermost secrets'?

Glenn would need waking up though…

'Time for some acting' Harry thought happily as he filled up the glass of water.

Glenn awoke with a started yelp, his face dripping and his hair stuck to his forehead.

"What the hell man! What was that?!"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his face a perfect portrayal of confusion while he innocently held the now empty cup.

"Why did you throw water on me! And those questions! What was up with those questions!?" Glenn half responded, half demanded.

"Err… What questions mate?" Harry asked, incredulousness tinging his voice.

'I deserve an award!'

"Whaa… What do you mean 'what questions?'! The ones you were just asking me!" Glenn replied, anger, fear, and confusion marring his fairly plain face.

"I asked you if you wanted a glass of water… But you were already asleep."

"But- But what about the other questions…?" Glenn asked, tapering off his question as the confusion over the situation intensified.

Harry glared hard at him.

"Listen chap, I gave you a little break. If you are going to act like a mental tosser then get back to work." He said, a strong amount of irritation in his voice. None of this would be needed if he knew how to obliviate people. Unfortunately, that would only be covered in his last year as a trainee Auror. So all he could do was trust in his acting skills. Harry had given Glenn almost double the dose of antidote. That, combined with the drowsiness caused by the actual potion…well, Harry hoped it would seem like Glenn had woken from a very vivid dream.

"But… But you just asked me all these questions! And I answered them! Why did I answer them?" Glenn retorted.

Harry let out an exasperated sigh, one he didn't need to fake. Trust the muggle to not go along with his careful planning! Bollocks!

"Look, if you think having a go at being barmy will help you, then you can right well quit it now. Blimey, are you trying to be cheeky? I let you nap; I let you sleep, only to have to listen to you still talking. Now you try and pull a fast one?" Harry asked, a frown on his face. Internally, he was ginning like a madman. His attempt at a distraction seemed to be going well. Glenn was looking more and more convinced, as well as confused, by the second.

"I don't even know what half that meant… Why do all you British guys talk like that?" He asked.

"You having a mickey? Met a lot of British chaps have yah?" Harry snarked before grabbing and throwing a new rag at Glenn.

"If you want to go spare, do it on your own two ticks!" he said, his anger genuine. He really was speaking the Queen's English…

"No! That's not what I… I thought you asked me… Never mind." Glenn started to explain before stopping. It sounded so stupid now that Glenn thought about it. What the hell did 'spare' mean? And, if he really had answered all those questions, why wouldn't Harry ask more? Why pretend he didn't know the answers. That seemed like a lot of effort for little return. Being kidnaped was exhausting and scary. Nightmares were a given in a situation like this, surely.

And really, as if there was something that could make him answer how many times he plays with himself! Right?

"It must have been a nightmare." Glenn said quietly to himself.

"Eh? What you on about now?" Harry asked while whooping in triumph inside. Veritaserum was such an interesting potion. It changed the mental state of the recipient so much that it was all too easy to convince the poor Asian Muggle that nothing had happened. Couple that with the weird sleep inducing effect on Muggles and…well here we are. It was almost too easy really and, because of that ease, Harry could easily see how it could be abused. There were reasons why its use was strictly controlled.

"Umm…Nothing. I just thought I would be more used to how British people talk by now, sorry." Glenn replied without looking up from his cleaning job.

"What do you mean by that? " Harry asked, ending the thick British accent he had adopted. The last comment Glenn had made had peaked Harry's interest for some reason. Something was telling him to pay attention.

"It's just, we have a few British tourists with our… Um…" Glenn began before pausing mid-sentence. Harry immediately understood why he had stopped. He still didn't want to give any information away… Which actually relived Harry. Now he knew for sure Glenn had believed his 'nap time' lie.

"You have British people in your group?" Harry asked, surprised. That wasn't something he had expected.

"One or two…yeah." Glenn hedged, keeping his focus on his cleaning. Glenn's admission had brought a whole new batch of questions, questions Harry couldn't ask now. He was curious about these 'British' group members of his… But if he asked, he knew Glenn wouldn't tell. And pushing too hard so soon after convincing him of his 'dream' would be unwise. Maybe he could ask tomorrow after breakfast.

The conversation stopped after that. Harry continued to watch Glenn clean the floor for the next two hours. Most of his attention was focused on thinking over the answers Glenn had given to his questions. He was happy that Glenn believed his group wouldn't hurt Miguel… But that still left… Oh, about six billon biters that could still attack him. Not to mention the actual looters in the area. Would the group defend someone who wasn't their own? Harry couldn't be sure. All the rules had changed now that survival was a day-to-day, minute-by-minute, second by second struggle. Harry looked up when he heard the door open to see that Marcus had returned, he even looked a little less tired.

"Perfect timing Marcus." Harry said, greeting the man with a nod. Marcus nodded back at Harry in response.

"You can take back over right?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Thank you for break." Marcus replied.

"Don't worry about it big guy. I'll see you at dinner!" Harry called over his shoulder as he quickly exited the kitchen. He had to find Guillermo so he could start formulating some kind of plan.

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"It's being taken care of Harry."

"I get that, I do. But what's the harm in me helping?" The young wizard asked, after he had been rebuffed.

"Resources Harry. We don't need to send more guys out." Guillermo responded as he looked over inventory sheets.

Harry tried a different tactic.

"But we don't have anyone out there, I saw the last truck had come back on my way here. If they are too tired, I can take a shift."

"We don't need to send people out, it's not like with the looters. It's all covered Harry."

"How isn't a hostage situation like a looter problem?" While Harry believed the answers he had gotten from Glenn, there was still the chance things could change. Or that Glenn didn't know his people well. Not to mention the myriad of other things that could go wrong. Better to be safe than sorry. Getting Miguel back to safety was paramount.

"They ain't looters Harry. And they want their man back. We will get the guns, I saw it in the man's eyes." He said, shooting down Harry's request again.

"How can you be sure? Are the guns even ours to begin with?"

"Felipe and Jorge saw them and had them in hand before they were attacked. Poor Felipe still can't walk right." Guillermo replied with a small smirk. Felipe may not think it now, but it WAS funny.

"That's not what Glenn says."

"Of course not Harry, they want the guns. He's lying." Guillermo waved off his concern whilst rolling his eyes. Guillermo liked Harry, he really did. But even after two weeks, Harry was still naïve about some things...

In a normal world, Harry would have agreed - but he had dosed Glenn with Veritaserum, so he knew Glenn wasn't lying. But how could prove it? Harry wanted to tear his hair out in frustration. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He had gotten his answers with no way to prove they were the truth.

Hang on…did he say….

"Wait a second. What do you mean you 'saw it in his eyes'? They came here already?" Harry asked in shock.

"Yeah, about a day ago." The Vatos leader responded.

"They came a day ago and you told them to leave?"

"Harry… The guns…"

"I DON'T CARE about the ruddy guns! They have Miguel! He's a kid Guillermo! You let him stay in their hands for guns!?" Harry yelled.

"Calm down Amigo. I told you, they aren't looters. They won't hurt him."

"How can you be sure? He's just a kid, he doesn't deserve to be left there!"

"Harry!" Guillermo barked, anger finally manifesting. "Miguel hasn't been a kid since the world ended! He grew up, he had too or he would be dead!" Guillermo yelled, "So stop acting like he didn't know the risks! Everyone knows the risks!" The Vatos leader continued.

"That doesn't excuse…"

"No, it doesn't. But that doesn't matter now does it? The decision has been made and they aren't looters. One's a cop for crying out loud. They aren't going to hurt Miguel. So calm down alright? We will get Miguel and the guns, and no one has to get hurt. They won't even put up a fight. " Guillermo said with conviction, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Trust me Harry." He said with a sideways smile.

Harry frowned in worry. While he did have Glenn's confession that his group wouldn't hurt the teen…that didn't remove the uneasy feeling he had. Anything could go wrong with a deal like this on a good day, doubly or triply now that the world had ended.

"I hope you're right about this Guillermo."

The Vatos leader sighed, taking his hand off Harry's shoulder before turning and walking away.

"Me too, amigo. Me too."

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Harry and Guillermo didn't talk for the rest of the day. Glenn also wasn't present when he was cooking the nighttime meal. The young wizard suspected Guillermo didn't want Glenn seeing Harry cook the large amount of food they needed in order to feed everyone.

After everyone was served, Harry ate his dinner quickly before retiring to his room. He didn't sleep though. Instead, he paced back and forth running the situation over in his mind. He replayed the answers Glenn had given to his questions as well as the conversation he had with the Vatos leader. Glenn had been with the group for who knows how long, but he was certain that whoever held him wouldn't hurt him. Guillermo was a fairly good judge of character, Harry had discerned during his stay. Both Glenn and the Vatos leader thought the same thing… But the young wizard was still on the fence. Things had just changed too much. So much that Harry still didn't know the true state of things. There was still bad out there in the world though, if the looters were anything to go by.

That thought really didn't help Harry's state of mind. It may be irrational, but having someone he knew and cared about in such a dire situation so soon after learning everyone he cared for was dead…

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. He was so irritated that he couldn't do anything about… Well anything! The world had ended and he had slept. His friends had died and he had slept. Humanity had crumbled - and he had slept! The current situation was just like when he was kept cooped up at his 'home' under an information blackout while his friends and teachers fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

The young wizard collapsed onto the bed in frustration. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Waiting was something he always had trouble doing. It had both come in handy at times and been a curse. His impulsiveness, while a perfect trait for Gryffindor, was often getting him into trouble. On the other side… It had been instrumental in saving not only his life, but also many others over time.

Thinking of Gryffindor brought to mind multiple memories of all the students of his house that he interacted with. It was a bittersweet moment when the memory of the Weasley twins testing their latest prank snacks popped to the forefront of his mind. Harry closed his eyes to keep the tears from falling. For all he knew, everyone he had ever talked to was dead. For all intents and purposes, Harry's magical world was dead. How could it live on? There was no way he could picture a living, happy world where the Weasleys were dead and gone, where his two best mates were dead.

Harry sat up suddenly, an idea in his mind. He quickly took his wand from his wrist holster. Harry may not be able to do anything about Miguel at the moment, but he could at least see if he was alive. He hesitated for a brief second before casting the spell.

"Point me Miguel." He said, concentrating on the boy's face. He really didn't know many people's last names… They just weren't given. Harry never pressed either.

The green eyed wizard let out the breath he had been holding when his wand lit up white and spun to point to the North East. Miguel was alive, that was good. According to the stories, all the people the looters had captured in the past were immediately executed to 'send a message'. The fact that the young Vatos teen was still alive lent credence to what Guillermo and Glenn had said.

Maybe there was hope after all?

Hope…the word brought so many different things to his mind. Harry's past always had a component of hope woven in somewhere. With the Dursleys under the cupboard, he had just hoped his family would love him. That hope had waned, only to be replaced by the hope of a fresh start and new friends at a school of magic. Magic! Harry was so enthralled at the time. He was grateful that many of the things he had hoped for ended up happening, and it was all because of Hogwarts and magic.

Even the bad things that happened from being in the magical world didn't stamp out the hope Harry had felt at times. Hell, even when he walked to his execution in the Forbidden Forest, it had been with the hope that his death would allow his friends to finally be able to face a mortal Voldemort. Hope that his friends would live through the war that had cost so much already.

It was this hope that gave Harry pause when he went to put his wand back in the holster. Aside from the shrinking and unshrinking of his trunk during that one supply run, he hadn't used his wand for anything. It was always on him just in case, but he just….

Using it would not only endanger his secret, but it would also keep reminding him of everything he had lost. Harry wasn't dumb, after all. He knew, deep down, that his godson was dead. That had to be true. The sad part was, Harry couldn't figure out if he should cry over the realization or be happy that the kid wouldn't have to live through… Well, this. The end of the world and all that.

Still, he had just checked the spell on Miguel, a kid he had met only two weeks ago. He just, didn't know if he could handle the confirmation. Without concrete proof, Harry could still hold on to that little shred of hope. If he was honest with himself, the small hope that he didn't know Teddy was dead for sure, had been the only thing that had kept him going after that first terrible night. The young man, the savior of the Wizarding World would probably never say it out loud but he knew, deep down, that the only reason he hadn't ended it all that night was the hope that someone… Someone he cared about was still alive. He started to put his wand back in its holster before a thought caused him to pause halfway through.

'It's just wishful thinking…' Harry thought, disparaging himself for his false hopefulness. It had been the only thing keeping him in this world… But it was so fragile. Any hard look or deep questioning of it would shatter that little shard of hope into a million pieces. So he threw himself into anything he could think of. Cooking for the Vatos had then become his occupier. He could sit and allow the mind-numbing consistency of cooking and cleaning to just….keep him from questioning the one hope had left.

Didn't he owe it to Teddy though, to find out for sure? He was his Godfather… The result was a foregone conclusion… But knowing and knowing were two such different things. Harry slowly moved his wand back out, only to stare at it as he continued to contemplate his next action. He came to a decision then. Truly, it really boiled down to what Harry wanted. Did Harry want definitive proof his godson was dead? He felt he did, he needed the proof so he could move on, or finally rest. He had no idea which way he might decide.

If he had no one to fight for, none of his friends and family alive…what was the point? Keep fighting so he could save the world? No, no, he had done that already and literally died in doing so. He had a choice then too, like he did now. The only difference was, back then he had friends and loved ones to protect. People he cared about to keep him going, to give him a reason to keep fighting when it all looked so dark and hopeless.

But could he end it all just like that? After all he had survived, all he had sacrificed to stay alive and get to where he was. After all the sacrifices his friends had made, his teachers, his mentors? Could he just walk away from it and…opt out of the whole mess?

Harry smirked humorlessly to himself. He had come into his room worried about Miguel originally. Now he was considering suicide after confirming the last of his family to be dead.

'Maybe I'm not as strong as I thought' he pondered internally.

'I owe it to myself…I owe it to myself to know all the facts. Then I can make a decision.'

Nodding to himself, Harry put his palm up and placed the wand on it. He tried to take a deep, steadying breath to psyche himself up. He opened his mouth to say the incantation only to pause before he even made a sound, his nerve leaving him as the memories of his last point me spells flew to the front of his brain.

'It's just a simple spell Harry, come on do it!' he chided himself for hesitating. He had to do this, he had decided. He had too. For his family, for his friends, and for himself. He needed to know, and that was that.

Pushing the memories of that terrible night aside, Harry took in another breath before opening his mouth.

"Point me Edward Lupin." He said thickly, a lump already forming in his throat. When the wand wouldn't stop spinning, the answer was clear. That was it then, they were all dead. His godson was dead! The pain in his chest was unimaginable. Harry had never felt such a strong urge to snap his bloody white glowing wand and shove the pieces into his heart before. He glared down at the offensively spinning object. In the past two weeks that damn stick had caused him more pain the all the Death Eaters together. It wouldn't be hard either... One small movement and the wand would be…

'Wait, white?' Harry's shocked thought tore through his body. He jumped up off the bed immediately, his wand clattering to the ground. The wizard just stared at it for a second before bending and snatching it up again. He had the wand back in the palm of his upturned hand faster than a Firebolt taking off.

"Point me Edward Lupin!" He called out, excitement warring with his cautious optimism.

Again, the wand glowed bright white before spinning slowly around on his palm. The spell had found him - had locked onto his magic.

…

…

"Merlin, Teddy's alive!" Harry shouted in glee. His godson was alive! He hadn't been this relieved since Fawkes had saved his life in the Chamber. He still had family that was alive! He had no idea where, but Teddy was alive! Harry whooped in excitement as tears silent steamed down his face. His eyes hadn't left the spinning wand since it had started its movement in his hand. Okay, so something was interfering with the location aspect of the spell, but that didn't matter as much because Teddy was alive! Harry instantly resolved to find him; it wasn't even a decision really. It didn't matter where or who he was with. He. Was. Going. To. Find. Him! End of discussion.

After checking several more times, he concluded that his godson was somewhere to the west of his current location. It was difficult to be sure, as the wand would keep rotating at a constant speed until it slowed somewhat when it pointed toward the west, only to pick up speed again a small turn later. Something was interfering with the spell, which, while inconvenient, meant that, odds are, there were magicals near him. Two miracles in one day!

Harry's prearranged night was changed in that moment from one of rest to one of preparation. While he appreciated his time with the Vatos and all that they had done for him, he had his mission now. And so, Harry planned long into the night and early the next morning. By the time he finally collapsed onto his bed, it was nearing five am, but he had accomplished a lot. The young wizard had taken inventory of everything he had in his trunk and had a rudimentary plan. Once the issue involving Miguel was handled, he would leave and head west as soon as possible. He had even set aside additional muggle packaged food to leave for Guillermo as a parting gift. Harry would have kicked himself if he could though, he couldn't believe he hadn't used the spell that night two weeks ago. If he could have recovered quick enough from his injuries, he would have taken a leaf from Dobby's book and punished himself severely.

'I have to be strong that that! I will need to be strong to find Teddy.' He admonished himself internally. He had no excuse, he was just too weak to have cast the spell to find teddy. He couldn't have handled his death. And, at some point, he had even started to believe that Teddy was dead. How could a baby survive when people like Hermione died? It all seemed so stupid now. He had wasted two weeks - TWO WEEKS! - playing the part of an angsty teenager.

His exhaustion took over nearly the second his head hit the pillow. One event, one little spell, one family member alive, it had all been so emotionally draining. A small smile formed on Harry's lips as he moved closer and closer to sleep. His last thought before he slipped into unconscious was centered on his alive godson.

'I'll find you Teddy. I promise.'

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Harry was startled awake when someone started pounding furiously on his door. He bolted upright, his wand in hand and pointing towards the noise. It took a few seconds for the wizard to come to his senses and remember where he was, all the while the person kept pounding.

Grumbling obscenities at whoever was on the other side of the door, he replaced his wand in his holster and hoisted himself out of bed. Even as he walked to the door, it was still being banged on loudly. As soon as Harry reached his destination, he threw open the door and glared at the perpetrator of the noise…Samuel.

Harry was not impressed.

"What the hell is your problem?" Harry asked heatedly. The two had never reconciled from that one supply run, not that either cared in the slightest.

"Where you been? Guillermo's been looking for ya!"

"Sleeping, obviously. I was up late, what's the problem? What time is it?"

"It's near midday, and your idiot self is the only one not on deck!" Samuel replied in anger. Harry was even less impressed with the situation now.

"Ill get ready and start the meal. Sorry your highness, you are going to be eating late today." The young wizard said with a condescending tone. He had started to shut the door when Samuel forced it open again.

"Hey!" Harry yelled.

"Idiot! It's all hands on deck! We gots incoming!" Samuel yelled back, giving Harry pause. Incoming?

"Who?"

"Them putos who snatched our guns." Samuel replied

"And Miguel?"

"Guns are more important den that scrawny shit." Samuel said with a smug grin.

"You sir, are an aresehole. Where and when is the exchange going down?"

"Here and now idiot! I'ts all hands on deck, are you slow? We gotta GO!" the Vatos member stated with a sneer before starting to walk off. Harry went back into his room to quickly grab his shoes and knife before running out and down the hallway. It was there that he spotted Jorge and Felipe heading towards the warehouse section.

"Guys! What's happening?" he asked once he caught up with the duo.

"A scout came in fifteen minutes ago and said a group was heading this way with Miguel and a ton of firepower." Jorge answered as he checked his gun's magazine.

"So Miguel is with them? Was he hurt?"

"We no know." Marcus responded.

"What about Glenn? Where is he?"

"We left him with Samuel for safe keeping."

"Wait what? Samuel? But he was…" Harry started to say only to pause as the three of them came upon the assembled gang.

Nearly every member (that wasn't old) was present and armed with one thing or another. For Harry, he had never seen such a sight. Thirty armed men, some had pistols, some had rifles, some had shotguns, and all the rest had some form of blunt weapon. Sure, he had seen most of them during meals, but they had never been armed as they were now. To say Harry was unimpressed would be to tell a bold faced lie. He had seen wizard fights in the war….but growing up with muggles he knew how much death and destruction could be thrown out of the myriad of rifles, pistols, and shotguns.

The moment he had to admire (and be partially disgusted by) the display of America's gun culture was ended when the warehouse door opened and three armed strangers entered along with one teenage Vatos member. Everyone around him shifted into a far tenser stance but Harry's vision instantly locked onto the teen. He was only slightly irritated when he noticed Miguel had a gag over his mouth, something most of the Vatos members considered at one point or another. His irritation was overshadowed by the proof that Miguel was in good health, or at least hadn't had any outwardly showing wounds. Truth be told, Harry had honestly feared that Miguel's mouth would get him in trouble with his captors. His assumption was seemingly close to the truth, if the gag was any indication.

His eyes traveled to the man Guillermo walked up to. The apparent leader, who incidentally was holding a bag full of guns, looked to be some type of police officer…but Harry wasn't versed enough in American police entities to place his uniform. His hat did look cool though. One thing was for certain, the man carried himself like every police officer he had ever come across. That and a man had to have the confidence of experience to walk into supposed enemy territory with only three men….or be really stupid.

Harry was betting on the former. He did a quick glance at the other two men. One seemed to be an out of shape black man with a shotgun while the other looked to be extremely capable in a physical fight, who also happened to have a shotgun.

"I see my guns, but they aren't all in the bag." Guillermo said with almost an air of innocence about him. Harry could already tell this was going downhill fast…If what Glenn said was true, then these people would fight for the guns.

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I told you that." The officer, whose name, according to Glenn, was either Rick or Shane responded in a no nonsense tone. Harry was instantly reminded of the many veteran Aurors he had met.

"Lets just shoot these fools ese, just unload on their asses ese." Felipe said as he leaned towards Guillermo's ear. The Vatos leader held up his hand in response, silencing Felipe. Harry narrowed his eyes at Felipe, angry and shocked he would even say such a thing. The fact that Miguel was in the line of fire didn't seem to matter to him….which Harry knew was false. The Felipe he knew was kind and gentle with his grandmother and his cousin Miguel. Which meant it was probably a bluff…but a stupid, risky one that could blow the whole thing out of proportion.

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of this situation…." The Vatos leader said, his tone both condescending and irritated.

"No…It's pretty clear." The officer, Shane if Harry was betting, responded before lowering his shotgun. He then quickly pulled a knife and cut the bindings on Miguel before shoving him forward into the sea of Vatos members.

"You got your man, I want mine." He said then. The ultimatum was clear even if it went unsaid. Harry thought the deal was fair, seeing as taking the guns from them would be stealing, plundering, looting, and Guillermo had no tolerance for that. But…that was only if he believed Harry, which didn't seem likely.

Guillermo was silent for several moments before he started slowly advancing on the group's leader.

'Uhh oh. Don't threaten him Guillermo, for Merlin sakes don't do it….' Harry though frantically in his mind.

"Im going to chop up your boy." The Vatos leader started to say causing Harry to groan mentally.

'That escalated quickly…'

" I'm going to feed him to my dogs. Three of the evilest, nastiest man-eating dogs you ever saw. I bought them from satan at a yard sale." Guillermo finished saying.

Harry would have snorted at the description of his three pet Chihuahua if the situation hadn't been what it was. Instead, he flicked is wand into his hand.

'Damn it Guillermo...' Harry thought, 'Showing my abilities be damned.'

The young wizard couldn't see the face of the opposing leader, but he was sure from the man's stance that he was glaring. Harry moved forward carefully through the crowd in order to get a better vantage for possible spell casting.

"I told you how it has to be. Are you willfully deaf?" Guillermo asked heatedly.

"My hearings fine. You said to come locked and loaded." The officer responded before pumping his shotgun and quickly bringing it up, aiming at Guillermo's head. Simultaneously the other two men pumped their shotguns and brought them up and trained them on the group.

In response, all the Vatos members with guns cocked them before aiming at the three other men. Those with blunted weapons tensed, ready to pounce. Harry, in the meantime, had turned and pushed Miguel roughly towards the back of the group. The boy lost his balance and fell, but at least he was out of the line of fire.

"….Okay then, we're here." The police officer finished.

The situation had devolved into what one could call tense….Every Vatos member with a gun had theirs aimed at the group of three, while the three stood opposing, aiming their guns into the group. Harry really had no idea what to do. Any single thing could set everyone off and death would ensue. He wasn't even sure he could cast a big enough shield to protect the Vatos members, much less ALSO stop the Vatos from killing three innocent men. Harry was seriously considering using one of the darkest curses of them all to stop this…madness before it turned into a bloodbath.

Luck, fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it, interfered then in the form of a ninety-six year old woman. When Abuela wandered directly into the line of fire to talk to Felipe Harry nearly face palmed.

'Of all the things…' he thought in exasperation.

Felipe and his grandmother had a quick but unintelligible conversation right in the middle of the standoff. She sounded really agitated and wasn't communicating very well, if the confusion on Felipe's face was any indication.

"Get the old lady outta the line of fire." The more rugged of the three drawled with a heavy southern accent. Whoever he was, Harry's respect for the three men increased when they didn't use the distraction in their favor.

"It's Mr. Gilbert….He can't breathe…..he needs his Asthma stuff….you find it!" The old woman begged her grandson. Harry continued to watch the three outsiders and their reactions, the other Vatos members were becoming more and more uncomfortable and were, as a result, paying less attention to the dangerous situation.

Guillermo looked uncertain for a brief second before proceeding.

"Felipe go deal with it, and take your grandma with you!"

Felipe nodded quickly before speaking to his grandmother in Spanish. He was talking so fast that Harry couldn't catch any of the words he said. It turned out not to matter, however, as Abuela bypassed Guillermo and began speaking to the officer. On noticing her approach, he quickly lowered his shotgun.

"Don't you take him! He is a good boy. He had his troubles but he pull himself together now. We need him here." She said to the America officer, ending in a pleading whisper. Her words seemed to affect the other leader as he looked around at the gathered people in incredulousness. Harry could understand his predicament…the three of them had clearly been prepared to go to war to get their friend back….only to now be confronted by a little old lady. The situation had changed into something no one had ever expected.

"Ma'am, " he started, "I'm not here to take your grandson." Abuela wasn't so sure…so she asked her next question.

"Then why are you here?"

"Your….grandson is helping us find a missing person. A guy named Glenn." The officer replied to her question. Harry wished it would have been that simple. She couldn't have possibly known Glenn. After Harry had been brought in, the Vatos had changed their procedure. No potential threat was to know about the old people….and the old people were not to know about any potential threat in kind. This officer, Shane Harry believed, would STILL have to negotiate with Guillermo, but maybe the tension had been reduced enough that neither side would call the other's bluff.

"You mean the Asian boy? He is with Mr. Gilbert."

"What!" Harry yelped, unable to keep the reflexive question to himself and causing all eyes to turn to him. How the bloody hell did Glenn get into the auditorium! Glenn was supposed to be under guard by Samuel! After scanning the faces turned in his direction looking for any help, he spotted Samuel off to the side with a pistol.

'Bloody angry idiot bastard!' Harry raged in his mind as he glared at the derelict guard. Guillermo glanced in Samuel's direction too, and the look that formed on the Vatos leader's face was not one of happiness. It was one that promised consequences.

"Harry! Can you find his medicine? You brought it to us." Abuela asked, her plea for help was written all over her face.

"Uhh, sure, where is he?" Harry replied, casting a glance at Felipe. The rotund Vatos member nodded at Harry before turning and heading to the auditorium.

"Come, I show you to him." Abuela said to the officer before taking his arm and leading him in the same direction. Harry quickly followed behind, Guillermo bringing up the rear as he told the Vatos to stand down and let them through.

A short walk later had Guillermo, Harry, Felipe, and the three outsiders looking around the auditorium in shocked amazement. Harry made his way over to Felipe with the other four men following in his wake.

"How is he?" Harry asked. Mr. Gilbert had severe breathing issues. When Harry gave the medical supplies he had found in the Hospital to the Vatos, Mr. Gilbert had been on his last few puffs on his inhaler. When inventoried, the bag Harry had found included four new inhalers close to the old man's prescription. Apparently that had saved the man's life, or so he said when he thanked Harry for finding them. Harry had just accepted the thanks with a small blush. Even now, he was still unused to people being grateful to him for something he actually did. Sure people in the wizarding world had thanked him on every occasion they could, but they had been thanking Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived. Those thanks he just brushed off. Here though, they thanked 'just' Harry.

"He'll be fine. It was pretty bad, but he's had worse." Felipe responded before walking away to return the inhaler to its specified location. The few seconds Harry had been in though had made him miss a little of the side conversation going on. After a few brief conversations, Guillermo and Glenn's group went off towards the offices. Harry tagged along behind them for more than one reason. It seemed that the time to discuss his departure was rapidly approaching.

Harry leaned against the doorframe that lead into Guillermo's office as the Vatos leader explained their terrible story. Harry had been deeply moved when he had heard the entirety of the situation, all the good, bad, and supremely ugly. Guillermo laid out the desperation Felipe and he felt when all the others abandoned their charges to die. The hopelessness of the situation at first. The strength of family ties the Vatos members had with their parents and grandparents. The sad realization that nothing they could do would help much. Pipe dreams of getting the elderly out of the city and to safety hindered by the infirmities the elderly had. Being forced to be on guard 24/7 to protect the only things left they all cared about. The history of the Vatos had been large part of his decision to leave behind as much food and assorted supplies as he was planning, fully half of his remaining stock, approximately three times the food he had 'found' on that one supply run he went on. It would make their life a little easier, and would serve as a small 'return' on the effort they 'invested' in Harry to make him feel welcome.

"The people here, they all look to me now…I don't even know why." Guillermo ended his tale, tapering off with a sad tone.

Looking around the room, Harry could easily tell that the story had moved three of the four, he couldn't see the officer's face. At the same time, he could easily see that, while it was tearing them up inside, Glenn's group had their own worries and couldn't do much to help the Vatos' situation. He wouldn't blame them for not wanting to help. The Vatos wouldn't help them for free either, apparently that was the way the world worked now.

"Because they can." The officer said suddenly with conviction. Harry was only somewhat surprised, however, when he handed Guillermo over the shotgun he was holding. Guillermo hesitated for a moment before accepting the weapon with a nod. Even one gun could help, in Harry's opinion, and they were a commodity all by themselves. No, what shocked Harry was when the officer reached into his gun bag and pulled out a rifle and three additional shotguns. When the policeman added ammo to the mix Harry was flabbergasted.

That was completely unexpected. One weapon, sure. It was a token gift that really did have great significance. Giving half the guns and ammo in the bag though? That little hope Harry held that there was still good in the world grew sizably larger in that short, five minute exchange. Guillermo was speechless as well, the gesture's meaning not lost in the slightest. No words were spoken, just a few manly nods and the group of four were heading out the door. Harry stepped out of the way as they filed out of the office. All four gave him a glance as they passed him.

"Can I go say goodbye to some of the old guys? I liked playing cards with them." Glenn asked as he stopped right outside the office.

Guillermo tried to speak but couldn't. Clearing his throat, he tried again.

"Yeah Glenn, they would like that. I...ummm" he floundered, not used to saying the words he was trying to get out.

"No problem man, I get it." Glenn said with a smile before heading off back to the auditorium. Harry was then left alone with Guillermo, who was staring at the weapons and ammo. Harry cleared his throat, successfully gaining the Vatos leader's attention.

"I have to tell you something and you probably aren't going to like it." Harry started with a small amount of nervousness.

"You're going on your own way then?" Guillermo stated more than asked. The young wizard was befuddled, how had he known that was his plan?

"Uhh yeah…Look I appreciate all you…." Harry had just started his explanation when Guillermo cut him off.

"Stop Harry, its ok. You have given back more than we ever gave you, what with the medical supplies and the food you had." he said, staring Harry in the eyes.

"I just have one question amigo."

"Uhh yeah, what is it?" Harry asked, uncertain. The entire conversation had thrown Harry off, he hadn't expected not needing to defend himself and his reasons for leaving. Sure they wouldn't force him to stay, but it was important to Harry that they understood the reason for his departure.

"Do you have something out there you are going after? A reason to keep going when all that is around you is dust and rubble? Are you going out there to die Harry?" Guillermo asked intensely, his eyes boring into Harry's.

Maybe Guillermo was able to read people to an even greater degree than Harry had thought originally. Harry stood up straight then and looked Guillermo right back in the eyes.

"My godson is alive, out there somewhere. I can't tell you how I know, I just do. I am going to find him." Harry vowed, not as a normal nineteen year old, nor as the Harry who lived under the stairs. No, he said it with the conviction of a wizard who had been fighting most of his life, who had fought and secretly destroyed the dark's most secret weapon. He made his statement as the wizard who waged a war against evil and prevailed, striking down his nemesis personally.

He was Harry bloody Potter and he was going to find his godson!

If you had asked Guillermo, even a day before that moment when Harry made his promise, he might have said he knew Harry well enough. He was a hard worker, kind, quick to anger but not as impulsive as one might think a hot head to be.

Now, if anyone asked him if he had ever known Harry Potter he would answer, "No…I really didn't know a thing about him…but I know a survivor when I see one."

Guillermo nodded with a small smile at the conviction in Harry's voice. He had his answer, Harry wasn't trying to commit suicide and he wasn't going out for a flimsy reason. Guillermo knew that a strong reason for persisting was the only way people survived in the world anymore. He was glad Harry had that.

"Take one of the guns and some ammo. You might also want to consider joining up with Rick's group. They seem to be a decent group of people."

"No can do mate, I don't like guns. I'll take the K-Bar though. And who's Rick?" Harry was a little confused. Was there another group out there that he didn't know about.

Guillermo's response was to look at Harry like he was stupid.

"The cop is Rick Harry…how could you, be honest here, not know that was who I was talking about?"

"I thought his name was Shane!"

"What gave you that idea?"

"Well Glenn said….and…well he looks like a Shane!" Harry defended while expertly portraying his embarrassment in the form of a blush.

"His name is Rick….you were standing right there when he said it."

"I wasn't paying attention!"

"Clearly" Guillermo drawled. Harry was instantly reminded of Snape on a bad day….a bad day for Harry anyway.

"Whatever. I left some supplies in my room for you."

"You didn't need to do that Harry. You've done enough already!"

"Don't worry about it; you will need it more than I will. I also left some truffles for Miguel. I don't think I will get a chance to say goodbye….can you be sure he gets them for me?" Harry asked. He felt guilty about not seeing him before he left, so he was going to leave behind the chocolates for the young teen as an apology. A poor apology, but it was the best he had.

"Of course Harry. Good luck on finding your godson." Guillermo said before standing up and offering his hand. Harry immediately closed the distance and clasped his hand with the other man's.

"I will, thank you for everything." Harry said again, only to have Guillermo wave him off.

"You did more for us than we did for you Harry. Know though, that if….when you do find your godson, you can always come back here."

Harry felt a lump form suddenly in his throat at the other man's words. In being honest with himself, Harry wouldn't be able to say that it was due to him being touched or appreciative of the man's offer. It went much deeper, back to his childhood. He had never had a place people wanted him. Then Hogwarts came around and things changed…but he still carried that emotional scar within him. Harry would always remember what Guillermo said that day.

"Than…Thank you." Harry managed to get out. Guillermo only nodded and stepped away.

"You better get going then, they should be leaving soon."

"Right….well….I'll be seeing you Guillermo. Take care of yourself." Harry said as he walked out of the office.

"Be sure you take care too, Harry."

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Harry caught up with the reunited quad as they were exiting the main entryway.

"Hey guys, wait up a sec." Harry called, getting the group to pause and turn around. The young wizard stopped about five feet way, a respectful distance. He quickly looked over the people present. Glenn looked curious while the rugged one who now supported a crossbow was glaring at him in suspicion. The tall black man seemed indifferent while the officer, Rick, was looking him over. Clearing his throat, he began his pitch.

"Hi. We didn't get introduced. My name is Harry and I was wondering if I could tag along." He stated, looking Rick in the eyes. He figured, like most police, that beating around the bush would not be appreciated.

The rugged one, Daryl if the bow was the weapon that shot Felipe, snorted in what Harry assumed was contempt.

"Why would we 'ant you?" Daryl asked….demanded…..whatever. Normally Harry would have ignored him, or at least made some biting comment back. He didn't think Rick would take kindly to that, however, so he bit back his insults and answered normally.

"I can be pretty useful in a fight and I am a great cook." Harry felt odd just throwing his….more mundane talents out like that. It made him feel like a piece of equipment or something. The contemptuous snort came again before Daryl spit on the ground in front of him.

"Your good at women's work? Ain't see you being much use ina' fight, 'cept for bait." Harry was about to respond when Rick's voice stopped him.

"Enough Daryl." Daryl didn't look too pleased, but a third snort and he was looking in a different direction.

"Why do you want to come with us?" Rick asked, his suspicion evident.

"You guys seem to be decent people. Glenn sure had a high opinion of you." Flattery, Harry learned, cost nothing and could actually gain him something, if used correctly. Rick's glance towards Glenn had the Asian blushing out of embarrassment.

"I see…..anything else? Any other reason?" Rick asked again. His police officer was showing quite clearly in his mild interrogation. Was he really so easy to read?

"Yes….Glenn mentioned you had some British tourists in your group….I was also interested in meeting my countrymen. " Harry responded sincerely.

"You told 'em 'bout our group? Why?" Daryl demanded, glaring at Glenn. Glenn immediately glared back defensively, but with much less force.

"I didn't say anything that would hurt us! I was tired and it just slipped out!." Glenn replied in righteous anger. How was he supposed to react in that situation? He had never been kidnapped before….and he hadn't said anything that could hurt the group.

"To be fair, Glenn didn't tell me the number of tourists you have. Even just one of my fellow Brits would be a godsend amongst you Yanks." Harry said off the cuff, before cringing slightly. Maybe his insult would go unnoticed?

A quick look at Daryl proved that was indeed not the case. The black man looked slightly amused, so that as a plus. And he couldn't quite be sure…but he was positive he saw Rick's lips twitch slightly. Rick nodded a little before looking around, presumably gauging the reactions of his companions.

"He was nice to me when they…you know, held me hostage….." Glenn started to say before ending awkwardly. Harry felt the same awkwardness too. Was it good he that said that he was nice, or was it bad that he reminded them that he was a part of the kidnapping?

"Anything else Harry? Any other reasons?"

"We ain't got time for this limey prick! We got to find my brother and get back to camp!" Daryl said angrily. Rick just looked at him before nodding his accent.

"No other reasons Harry?" Rick asked once he turned back to the wizard. Harry fidgeted slightly, something he was sure didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the group. Well…maybe Glenn but he couldn't be positive.

Should he tell them though? They could use the information against him…Harry tallied up all the good things he had found out about the group. After a short deliberation he decided to risk it. Rick had just given half the guns and ammo he had away…

"Yes…alright! Bloody hell. I'm looking for my godson." Harry said while running a hand through his hair.

Rick's eyes softened a little when he heard Harry's response. Instantly he could relate with the young man in front of him. Hadn't he just been looking for his own family a week ago? Hadn't he met a group and was the outsider? Yes…so he knew how that felt. To acknowledge and inform a potential enemy of your weakness….took either a foolish mind or a desperate person.

"How can you be sure he is alive?"

"He's alive, I know it." Harry responded immediately, his tone leaving no doubt he truly believed what he said.

"Your godson might not be anywhere near here….what if coming with us is the wrong direction?"

"Are you going anywhere west?" Harry asked in response. He dare not ask where their camp was yet, but a general direction seemed ok territory for a question. Rick nodded his head slowly in affirmation.

"Great. The last thing I heard was they were traveling west…him and his babysitter."

Rick started into Harry's eyes as he gave his response. He couldn't detect any lie…but he was sure that Harry was holding something back. He could understand that though. He may want to tag along, be he trusted them as much as they trusted him.

"Do you have any weapons?"

"Just this K-Bar" he responded, gesturing at his hip.

"I think he should come with us. We already have some British people anyway." Glenn piped up. Harry gave him a half smile before turning his attention back to Rick.

After what seemed like hours, which was in reality less than two minutes, Rick nodded again firmly.

"Alright, you can come with us. But you follow our rules. Got it?" Rick half demanded half…..demanded.

"Yes, I understand and will play by your rules. Do you have a book or something for reference?" Harry quipped.

"No….no book." Rick drawled back, his mouth upturned slightly.

"Let's get going, we can introduce ourselves on the way to the truck." Rick ordered before the group, now five in number, headed out.

The trip to the vehicle the group drove into the city was uneventful. Harry learned everyone's names. Glenn's he already knew, Rick reintroduced himself and the black man ended up being named T-Dog. Daryl didn't say his name, which was ok in the end since Harry already knew it.

While the trip to the vehicle may not have been eventful, the ending of the trip certainly was.

"Oh my God, where's the truck!" Glenn exclaimed.

"Meryl." Rick ground out in anger.

"He's gunna be taking a whole lot of vengeance back to camp." Daryl said, sounding depressed. Harry, having no idea what was going on or the backstory, simply stayed quite.

"Lets move!" Rick commanded, causing all five people to break out into a slow run.

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Night had fallen by the time Rick said they were nearing camp. The run as been completely silent. No excess energy was spent on talking, all of it was focused on getting back to camp before…whatever bad was going to happen.

Harry was nervous, excited, and scared all at once. He recognized those series of feelings as the feelings he had when fighting in the war. It had taken him many months of meditation practice and lots of help, but he had finally been able to grasp a portion of occlumency. He couldn't shut down his emotions….but he could readily identify them now.

The fact he was getting these feelings now….was worrisome.

The first scream that tore through the night caused all four people to pause. The second immediately after the first caused them all to run as hard as they could towards the camp. Gunfire could be heard, the repots echoing all around the mountain, over and over again. Rick, T-Dog, Daryl, and Glenn all rushed forward past Harry with their guns up and ready. Soon, they disappeared behind a thick bush, Harry in quick pursuit.

He pulled his knife out of its sheath the second he came to the outskirts of the camp. The scene before him was…hauntingly familiar.

Fires burned around the camp, people were screaming and the smoke was thick. The gunshots added to the mayhem with their loud booms. Aside from the guns, the scene was almost a dead ringer for the Quidditch World Cup in his fourth year.

A sharp scream pulled Harry out of his memories. Searching for the source, he saw a woman holding a screaming young girl on her hip while desperately trying to fend off a biter.

Harry ran over and lashed out with his knife, striking quickly and pulling back out. The biter went down, only for a second biter to come stumbling from behind the large camper, heading towards the woman and her child. Harry used his forearm to shove the woman back. That action cost him precious seconds, seconds which the biter used to cover the remaining distance.

'Too close!' Harry thought frantically. He couldn't get his knife around on a good angle. He resorted to punching the biter as hard as he could, knocking it away a scant few inches. They were all he needed. With a quick forward strike, Harry penetrated the right eye and brain of the biter, permanently killing it. As the pulled his knife out of the biter's eye socket he looked up to give the young girl a brief smile of encouragement, only to see the girl screaming and pointing behind him.

Fear coursed through his veins as he spun around to come face to face with a disfigured, huge biter. It was so close that he reflexively took a step back, and proceeded to trip over a rather large and slick with blood rock. Harry fell to the ground. The combined impact of his fall and that of the biter falling on top of him knocked his knife out of his hand. When the biter's forehead impacted Harry's face, it sent his glasses sliding off his face. Seeing stars from the impact, he brought up he knees as far as he could to try and leverage the biter off of him, but failed. The thing was so too heavy, Harry only succeeding to move it a few inches.

He reached his hands up and aimed for the biter's neck. He was able to gain purchase on the rotted flesh, digging his nails into its throat and pushing its biting mouth further away from his body. Harry's mind frantically ran through scenarios. He couldn't get a good angle to palm his wand so that was out. Maybe a strong push of wandless magic? He had never tried it before….he had only ever gotten the unlocking spell to work a semi decent amount of the time. He would only have one shot at doing it….if it didn't work he would lose his hold on the biter and probably get bitten.

Harry was saved from having to try a last ditch attempt as a shiny blade penetrated the front of the biter's skull. The green eyed wizard push his head back as far into the ground as he could out of reflex. The heavy biter slumped unmoving, completely and truly dead now. The blade point disappeared, having been pulled back through the back of the skull. The putrid smelling, rotted brain matter began leaking out of the hole and onto his clothing. Harry started trying to leverage the dead body off him when, all at once, the body rolled off and to the side. The young wizard looked up, trying to find and thank his rescuer. A distorted, fuzzy person was looking down at him. He couldn't make out many details, the light was so low and he had the chance to find and replace his glasses on his face. Harry opened his mouth to thank the unknown person when he froze in shock their voice.

"Potter?"

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Vatos Mini Arc Epilog.

As in its beginning, so shall it be at its end…

The day he left was the last time Harry, or anyone really would see the Vatos members alive. Three days after Harry's departure, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Gilbert had fallen asleep at a table playing Go-Fish. The guard on duty decided to let them rest for an hour or so before getting them to their beds. That lax in protocol proved to be the last mistake he ever made.

Mr. Gilbert hadn't fallen asleep, as was assumed. He had a severe asthma attack and had fallen unconscious quickly after. He soon suffocated in his wheelchair at the go-fish table.

An hour later, when he was finally rolled into his room that he shared with three other people, he reanimated and attacked the helper who was pushing his chair.

The suddenness of the attack, coupled with old age and failing health caused the two other elderly people in the room to have heart attacks. Both died minutes later.

The dominoes fell from there. Soon four walkers were in the hallway attacking everyone they could reach. Several Vatos members heard the commotion and rushed to the scene, only to be swarmed by the recently reanimated group of elderly. Four turned to eight, eight turned to fifteen. Gunfire ripped through the silence of the night as the remaining Vatos members tried to salvage what they could. Panicked, a lone member managed to get to the main exit and open it in an attempt to escape.

His plan proved fatal, however, as the gunfire had attracted all the nearby walkers toward the sounds. Guillermo knew it was all over when he saw the horde pouring in from the open door. He stopped shooting then and looked around. Time seemed to slow down as he watched everything he had built die or be eaten. He glanced to his right in time to see Felipe fighting with a walker. He eventually killed it with a screwdriver but the damage had been done. Felipe stared in horror at the bite on his arm before looking up at Guillermo.

As it was in the beginning, so was it true in the end. Felipe and Guillermo were the only two left alive, Felipe having used his last bullet to end Miguel's life. The only consoling thing about his action was the boy didn't see it coming; he had been staring at the bite on his leg at the time.

As the horde bore down on their haphazard barricade, Guillermo glanced down at his pistol before looking back at Felipe. The former nurse grit his teeth and, with tears in his eyes, gave his best friend a single nod.

Guillermo instantly aimed the pistol at his friend's head and pulled the trigger. As Felipe's blood and brain matter oozed out on the ground, Guillermo put his gun to his temple and had one last look around.

He had done good for the time he had. He knew, deep down, that he made life better for all the members of the Vatos….for his dysfunctional, extended, amazing adopted family.

"Adios amigos" he said quietly.

Guillermo's last feeling in this world was his finger pulling the trigger.

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A/N

Vatos Mini Arc completed.

Wow, what an end right? I explain a little further down why it ended like it did.

%%%%%%The end of the story chapter%%%%%%

Who could that have been!? Who is it that knows Harry? Could Harry actually KNOW someone from Rick's group? Stay tuned!

Ok so, here is the end of the chapter! There are a few things I would like to mention about this chapter. First, it was insanely difficult to write for some reason, no idea. Second, I did take a large amount of the Rick's group meets Vatos right from the episode. What I didn't do, however, is type out Guillermo's speech he gave the group in private. It was long and I had already touched upon it in the second, third, and forth chapters.

Why did I rip one and not the other? Simple! I felt that the scene between Rick and Guillermo shows the badass, rip out their throats with our teeth side of the Vatos, ONLY to THEN turn them into the fluffy cuddly bears that they really are when Abuela came out. If Rick and the gang had been looters, the Vatos would have killed them without hesitation….but that scene serves to show that people who seem bad, can really be great people for different reasons. I felt it also showed how the world has changed and what needs to be done to survive in the here and now. It also showed Rick's group at one of their finest moments.

So yeah, I hope that all came across like I explained I had wanted it too. Leave me a comment or a PM telling me how well I did, if you want to that is.

%%%%%%The end of the Vatos%%%%%%

The TV series was going to have Rick's group go back to the Vatos, only to find the place overrun. It didn't end up airing as it didn't push the plot forward enough, so it was cut. In order to make the story as tragic as I feel it would have been if we had seen that, I added in the last part of the chapter to show how tragic the world had become.

If you think hard about the Walking Dead, both the comics and the TV series. The group doesn't gain strength from their victories. They gain the experience and strength from the tragedies they survive. It is in how they pick themselves back up when they get knocked down that truly helps the group the most in the end.

For example. If you are knocked down 19 times….when you stand back up you've learn to get up one more time than you were knocked down.

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Super special thanks to chocolatecheesecakes for keeping Harry a proper Englishman. I admit, I am American and make all my characters sound that way, so thanks for the help in keeping Harry more British than American!

And thanks to rocknrollprincess131 and girl-at-home13 ! Thanks you guys for your stupendous help on this chapter. I appreciate it.

Also, to all my loyal readers out there, take a look at the stories chocolatecheesecakes, rocknrollprincess131 and girl-at-home13 have written. They are really good!

Reviewer shout out:

Sorry I won't answer individual questions this time around. I had a lot happen this week and I wanted to get the chapter posted. Later, when I do revisions (around chapter 8 or 10) I will put a fuller response to my reviewers.

But never fear! I have answered you all in PMs!

Thanks for the reviews from the following. I appreciate it a lot you guys!

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