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.

6. The Reunion

A/N

Sorry it's a little late people! I apologize. I did say that I would TRY and get a chapter a week out, so I can't guarantee if I can do that every time. This chapter was so hard to write (even more so than the last one!) and I had so many things going on. Thanksgiving here in America last week and that took a bunch of prepwork.

66 reviews! Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate all you guys.

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:

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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Chapter 6

"Potter?" the person asked, incredulous, "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Harry was too shocked at the voice of his savior to move. His mind stalled for a brief second before it went into overdrive. 'It couldn't be…'

"Keep going to the camper!" His savior yelled over the gunshots and screams. Harry's body kicked into action at the shout and he began looking around for his glasses. He managed to find and grasp them before he was hauled up by his savior.

"Morgana's saggy tits Potter, get up!" His rescuer yelled in his ear as more shotgun blasts sounded. Harry fumbled with his glasses a second before getting them back in place on his face, bringing the world back into sharp focus. There, looking Harry in the eyes, standing with him amidst the chaos and bloody carnage, was someone he would never have expected to see.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked the blond haired young man.

"Get your knife and get back into the fight Potter!" Draco yelled before raising his sword and rushing off.

'Wait, he had a sword?'

Harry stood there for a second before the terrified scream of a child focused his attention. Quickly, he retrieved his knife and fell back onto what little his Auror training could offer him in this situation. He scanned the area for where he would be needed most, spotting a man having trouble with his gun while trying to protect a woman and young boy. The three were backing towards the camper while four biters advanced on them. The boy savior dashed towards the three. The man had resorted to using his shotgun as a club, bashing a biter away, only for more to take its place.

Running up, Harry lashed out with his knife, stabbing a female biter in the back of the skull. The weight of the corpse dropping pulled the knife clear, allowing Harry to swing his arm to the side, impaling another biter in the skull. The third biter tripped over the first, slamming into the ground directly in front of the man and terrified woman and child. Harry watched with some morbid fascination as the other guy squished the biter's head with a powerful smack from the end of the gun. The young wizard scanned the area quickly looking for any nearby threats. He watched as the Slytherin stabbed and sliced three biters in quick succession. It was ridiculous to think Harry would ever think of Draco Malfoy as graceful, but the sword play he exhibited couldn't be described in any other way.

Confirming Draco could hold his own, Harry tore his eyes from the only familiar sight to continue looking for threats. There were no more biters standing, the gunfire had finally gone silent, only to be replaced by frantic yells and anguished crying. Harry felt his heart sink at the number of bodies on the ground. Even now, in the darkness, it was easy to see that many were not biter bodies. He turned when he heard Rick yelling.

"Baby! Carl!"

"Dad!" the young boy near the camper yelled before running forward. Rick bent over and picked him up while a woman, the mother most likely, walked forward. Harry could see she was terrified and relieved, her face was a mess of emotions and shed tears. Now he understood why Rick has softened when Harry had told him what he was searching for. Family seemed to be of great importance to the man, a very good sign. Harry moved closer to the group congregated around the off color camper. Rick's reunion was quickly overshadowed for Harry by the sobbing woman who was kneeling over a young girl's body.

"I remember my dream now…..why I dug the holes." A strange man off to the right said. The creepy vide rolling off him made Harry a little nervous. And so he stood, for a good ten minutes feeling like a third nipple as the people in front of him grieved. He couldn't offer any more condolences than what had already been given, making him feel awful that he couldn't help sooth these people's hurt. But what could an outsider do other than accidently offend someone by saying something stupid? Better for him to stay silent at the moment.

Harry tensed when he felt someone step up and beside him. He relaxed slightly when he saw the Malfoy heir standing next to him, looking over the corpses. With the light from the fire, Harry was able to get his first full look at his former Slytherin nemesis. The young man's attire was shocking to Harry's preconceived notions. Draco was currently sporting a pair of jeans and was wearing a t-shirt with the faded words "Metal for Life". Out of all that, it was the other wizard's hair that caught Harry's attention the most. Gone was the slicked back platinum blond hair Draco had sported in school. Now his short hair was very unkempt, at least for a Malfoy, with a little overgrowth in some areas while other stuck out. Harry opened his mouth to speak when the other wizard started talking.

"Finished ogling me Potter?" Draco asked suddenly, turning from looking at the crying woman to look at Harry.

"I wasn't ogling you Malfoy!" he responded, angry instantaneously.

Draco made a tisking sound with his tongue before moving towards a large clump of dead bodies. Harry made to follow but stopped suddenly as he witnessed what Draco was doing. Moving methodically, he went through the pile of bodies, stabbing each in the head with his thin bladed sword. Harry watched, a million questions running in his mind. How had Draco gotten there? Why was he here? What had happened to the wizarding world? Did he know of anyone else alive? He had so many questions he couldn't figure out which ones to ask first.

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Harry was quickly drawn from his dilemma when the man he saved earlier walked up to him.

"Thanks for the save back there." He started, holding out his hand.

"Err no problem, really." Harry responded, shaking the man's hand while cursing his slight embarrassment.

"Another Brit huh? Been getting a mess of them. Names' Shane." The man, Shane, said.

'So this is the other leader Glenn talked about.' Harry though, a little wary of the man.

"I'm Harry."

"There was a whole lot of mess going on, so I didn't see where you came from." Shane said conversationally while leaning forward. The undercurrent of the half statement half demand wasn't lost on Harry. The young wizard was saved by a timely intervention.

"He's with me Shane. He's good." Rick said, his child still wrapped tightly in his arms, his wife was standing next to him. Harry nodded to the man in thanks. Shane took a small step back and gave Harry a smile.

"Well alright then. If Rick trusts you, I trust you." Shane said, sending a smile to Harry and Rick. The look left Shane's face when his eyes landed on the woman to Rick's right; the tension was something that didn't go unnoticed to Harry. Shane soon walked off though, joining some of the other men in gathering the bodies.

"Harry, this is my wife Lori, and my son Carl." Rick said, introducing his family to Harry.

"Nice to meet you both." Harry responded.

"Thank you Harry, for helping us during the fight." Lori said sincerely causing Harry to blush slightly once more.

'Damn it all' he though in exasperation.

"It wasn't a problem. Really."

"My husband told me briefly how you met. It couldn't have been easy, risking your life to help people you don't know. So thank you."

"Really Mrs.…errr."

"Grimes Harry."

"Right. Really Mrs. Grimes, it wasn't that big of a deal." Harry responded. And it wasn't, not really. The world may have changed, but Harry Potter had not. If there were people and he had the capability to, he would do it.

"You give yourself too little credit Harry. My son and I could have been bitten, you helped prevent that." She stated matter-of-factly. She was about to say something else before she was interrupted by a familiar drawl.

"You should take him at his word Lori. He's always had this stupid saving people thing. Bloody Gryffindors." Draco said as he walked up to the four of them. Lori got an annoyed look on her face at the Slytherin's presence.

"I wasn't aware you were invited to this conversation Draco." Lori responded with a falsely sweet tone. Rick just sighed, almost as if this was a common occurrence.

Draco annoying the people around him? Harry could see that happening, easy. The young Slytherin's response was only to smirk before turning to Harry.

"How did you find us Potter?"

"I didn't find you Malfoy. Rick brought me." Harry responded, emphasizing all the right words to show how much he didn't want to find Draco. The young Malfoy scowled and was about to respond before the young boy spoke up.

"Do you know each other?" Carl asked, wide eyes displaying his innocent curiosity. Harry and Draco just looked at one another. Harry would have laughed if the situation wasn't as messed up as it was. Still, unbidden memories swam to the forefront of his mind. The first time he had met Draco on the train, all the way up to their meeting in Malfoy Manner. Unknown to Harry, Draco was thinking almost along the same lines.

"It's a good question." Rick said, smiling at Carl. Harry considered what he would say. The answer was obvious, but how much should he talk about?

"We know each other." Draco said, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "We went to school together for six years."

"Yeah, we went to the same school. " Harry affirmed, feeling slightly awkward. He had never talked about his interactions with someone who had no idea about…well anything about their lives. Talk to an adult wizard and they would instantly understand the Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry. To talk about Hogwarts with someone who had no idea…even without mention the name, just struck Harry as odd.

"Come on Potter, we need to talk." Draco said in the way only a Malfoy could. Both demanding and condescending. Hearing that tone again, after having been free of it for so long, made Harry's teeth itch.

"Are you British too?" Carl asked, his big eyes full of curiosity. Harry chucked a bit when he saw Draco glare at the boy. He still didn't take kindly to being ignored.

"Yes, Carl was it? I am British too."

"Like Dragon?"

"I told you not to call me that you brat!" Draco responded immediately, his face flush with agitation…or maybe embarrassment? At Lori's smirk, Harry leaned more towards embarrassment.

"Yes…like Dragon." Harry agreed, emphasizing the name. Draco's scowled couldn't have gotten much deeper without it being permanent.

"So…like Herm…Herimno…Hermonine…Hermo…" Carl tried to say, struggling with the word. He quickly turned to his mother for help.

"Hermione dear." Lori coached with a indulgent smile.

"Right! Like Hermione too?" Carl asked, turning back to Harry.

"Yes, like Hermion…..wait what? How do you know Hermione?" Harry asked suddenly and loudly. A little too loudly for right after a biter attack it seemed, as both Lori and Carl jumped in surprise.

"Hermione…she's one of the others we found with Draco…" Rick started to explain, his body posture becoming cautious after Harry's outburst. Harry stood there open mouthed for a second before turning to glare at the young Malfoy.

"Hermione is here? She can't be here, she's dead!" Harry said angrily.

"She's not dead you moron." Draco responded dismissively, causing Harry's composure to crack.

Rushing up, Harry grabbed a double handful of Draco's shirt, pulling their faces close together. Furious green eyes looked into surprised grey ones.

"I know she's dead Draco, don't lie to me. You sick little shit, I didn't think you would do something like this after everything." Harry hissed in anger. After everything…to think Draco would pull something like this! Harry could never have imagined the pain he felt after seeing Draco alive. He had prayed that someone he knew was still out there, someone who could help him find his godson. Instead, he gets Draco bloody Malfoy, the last person he wanted to see in an apocalypse.

"Still the vicious little snake aren't you, Malfoy?" Harry spat out. Draco's eyes grew wide for a second before they narrowed. A second later, Harry was sent reeling from a fist colliding with his face.

Harry quickly regained his bearings before punching Draco back, square in the face.

"Stop it!" Rick commanded, grabbing Harry's shoulder and shaking it. Harry turned to glare at the man. Rick quickly moved in front of Harry to stop him from continuing to attack. He may agree with his wife that Draco was a pain in the ass, but he wouldn't stand by and allow his group (including Harry) come to blows.

"I tried telling you, you bloody git! Did you think I wanted to talk to you because of all our pleasant memories together?" Draco yelled with narrowed eyes, his anger very apparent from the sneer on his face. Harry was satisfied, however, at the trail of blood coming from the blond git's nose.

"Tried telling me what? That she's alive? She's dead. I know, I checked!" Harry yelled back. He started to move forward, only for Rick to keep him from advancing again. So caught up in his anger, Harry didn't see the crowed that had gathered at his yelling. Shane made his way over to help Rick hold Harry, gently like.

"Harry stop! What the hell is wrong with you?" Rick demanded. He didn't understand what had set Harry off like that. And claiming Hermione was dead? Was he talking about the same one? And how could he have checked?

"He's lying. I know he is." Harry said with conviction.

"She's not dead you ponce!"

"She is!"

"Merlin's balls, still the typical stubborn Gryffindor Potty? She isn't dead." Draco yelled back.

"Cut it with the yelling!" Shane yelled at the two.

"As if the gunfire didn't attract all the walkers in a hundred miles! Bloody idiot!" Draco retorted. The group milling became more anxious at that pronouncement. Carl, having been put down by Rick so he could sort Harry out, started to cry again. Rick got even more irritated than he already was.

"Enough!" he commanded, using every ounce of irritated father and veteran police officer he had in him. Harry calmed slightly while Draco looked disgruntled. Rick and Shane stayed put for a few more moments, making sure that both guys, especially Harry, had calmed down.

"Alright, enough Harry. I don't know what's gotten in to you. I reckon we all have our own issues, but we can not have this right now. We have clean up and planning to do." Rick stated, staring Harry in the eyes. He could see the hurt, the pain lingering there with the anger he saw earlier. Something, whatever it was, had set Harry off and he was in pain. But that didn't matter in the here and now.

"You done? Good. Draco, go show Harry the situation. Harry, be calm." The officer ordered before letting Harry go. He and Shane walked off to discuss…something. For his part, Harry just looked at the ground, emotionally spent.

'I can't believe I acted like that' he thought morosely to himself. It was just…with Draco saying Hermione was alive and him just being Draco… he couldn't handle it all combined.

"Come on Potter." Draco said, his customary sneer in place. Harry looked up to see Draco heading to towards the large camper. Basically on autopilot, Harry followed. As they neared, he glanced at the woman kneeling over the body of the young girl. Her sobbing had stopped, only to be replaced by a grief ridden, faraway look. He wondered if he looked the same way that night he cast the pointme charms.

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"Inside Potter." Draco said, breaking Harry out of his musings. Harry looked up to see Draco holding open the door to the camper. Normally, Harry would have said something, come up with some snarky remark, but he was too tired. His quick burst of anger at Draco wasn't enough to cover up the longing he held in his heart of any form of reunion. To think, the one other wizard Harry would meet in this nightmare would be a Malfoy. Truly, the Gods of Irony enjoyed their torment of the last Potter.

Harry walked up the short stairs and ducked to get inside the camper. From its outward appearance, Harry was surprised when he noted the rather decent looking interior. The kitchen was small but functional while the little table to the side was covered with a variety of different gear. All in all, it looked to be a heavily used, but still in fair condition camper. He heard Draco shut the camper door and clear his throat.

"Listen Potter….I don't know how much you know." Draco said while placing his sword on the countertop. Harry just stared at him slightly bewildered. Was there a question in there somewhere? In truth, Harry was somewhat at a loss. After the Battle of Hogwarts, he hadn't talked to Draco but once. And that encounter hadn't been a pleasurable one.

"Potter!" Draco snapped, getting impatient at Harry's silence.

"Well?" Harry asked, letting his irritation show.

"I asked you a question. Merlin save us, you've turned into a daydreaming Longbottom!"

"Stuff it Malfoy! You don't get to talk about Neville!" Harry responded in anger. How dare Draco disparage Neville! Anyone who could stand up to Voldemort in person should never be talked about in that manner. Draco just gave a haughty huff.

"I asked you a question Potter."

"I didn't hear it, ask it again."

"Listen this time Potty! How did you get here?" Draco demanded.

"I told you, Rick brought me."

"Well, how did you do it?" Draco pressed.

"He came to get that guy Glenn back from the Vatos" Harry replied only for Draco to wave his hand dismissively.

"No, I mean how did you survive?"

"What?"

"Survive Potter. You know, not die and all that? Last anyone heard, you were in a…coma." Ah…that was what he wanted to know.

"Errr I don't know exactly. I think my mag…" Harry started to explain, only to be sushed by the blond.

"Shh, don't say that here Potter! Did you even wake up from that coma or are you braindead right now?" Harry just glared at the blond.

'Of all the stupid things to say! ' Draco ranted in his head. 'Not a modicum is common sense. Stupid Gryffindors.'

"Listen Potter, things have changed. So many things. Do you know anything about….."Draco began to ask before he was cut off.

"You said Hermione is alive. Why would you say what?" Harry demanded, glaring at the young Malfoy through narrowed eyes. Draco rolled his eyes at the display.

"Because she is, you Hufflepuff!" Draco yelled back. Honestly! How many times did he have to say it?

Harry, on the other hand, had finally had enough. With a quick snap of his wrist his wand was in his hand and pointing at Draco's face.

"Answer me Malfoy'." Harry said with a very calm tone. Draco recognized that tone. It was the same one Harry used when he…spoke to him right before his Ministry trial.

"I did Potter! She isn't dead. Why do you keep insisting she is?"

"Because I did the pointme spell Malfoy, it showed she was dead!" Harry replied angrily, small sparks coming off the end of his wand. Draco didn't flinch, however.

"Then you did it wrong Potter. It doesn't surprise me really, you never were very good at spell work." Draco rejoined with a malicious tint in his voice.

"I am sure you tell yourself that at night when you remember all the times I bested you." Harry responded in disgust. He didn't get any answers from the blond and he was getting really tired of hearing the same lie. The green eyed wizard did get some satisfaction in seeing the scowl on Draco's face though.

"Now…for the last time Malfoy. Tell me why you keep saying she isn't dead. Where is your proof?"

"I was getting to that Potter! You need to know what happened before you can see her." Draco responded, his voice betraying none of his worry. Regardless of school hood rivalries and even not counting that they were on different sides of the war. The wizard in front of him had faced and killed Voldemort, the greatest Dark Wizard of all time, in a one on one duel.

"What do you mean? Stop stalling damn it and tell me!" Harry yelled directly into Draco's face. To have come so far thinking Hermione was dead, only to then have a Malfoy dangle that she was alive in front of him? Unacceptable. The sound of a door sliding open was heard, causing both wizards to look and see a tall black woman coming out of the backend of the camper.

"Everything alright Draco?" the woman said, a gun pointing at Harry with one hand while the other was filled with a small child. Harry couldn't tell what the child was as it was covered with a rather large blanket. That being said, he was more interested in the gun the woman had pointing at him.

"Everything's fine Jacquie." Draco said with the bored tone he had mastered as a child.

"Are you sure…." The black woman, Jacquie, asked with suspicion. Harry slowly lowered his wand before he snapped it back into its holster. The woman didn't lower the gun, however.

"Everything is fine, why don't you take him outside so Harry and I can talk? It's all clear now." The blond said, mustering back his dignified air almost instantly.

"Are you sure honey….this guy doesn't seem very friendly…" said, trialing off while lowering her weapon. Harry was sure he heard another exasperated sound coming from Draco.

"Yes, yes woman, I told you not to call me that! I am not a sweet or candy!" Draco groused, pinking slightly. He was easily on the verge of pouting as much as a Malfoy could.

Jacquie smiled slightly at Draco then before walking past the both of them. She did give Harry a stern look before she exited the camper, however. Harry turned back to the slightly pink Malfoy heir when Jacquie shut the door and raised an eyebrow expectantly. Draco sighed before running a hand down his face tiredly.

"She's in there Potter, just go look." Draco said, gesturing towards the room Jacquie had exited. Harry spun, eyes wide in surprise before he rushed into the back of the camper. He stopped two steps into the new room. He couldn't believe his eyes. His mind froze in shock. She was there, Hermione was right there! Not only that, she was laying next to Andromeda Tonks! They were both here! How was that possible? He mourned for her! But she wasn't dead! Miracles did happen! Why was she so still…

"Hermione?" Harry called. When he received no answer he called to her again, louder. When she still didn't respond, he went ahead and approached the side of the bed she was on. Reaching over, he placed his hand on her shoulder to gently wake her up. As soon as Harry touched her shoulder he drew his hand back with a gasp. She was ice cold!

"Andromeda. Andromeda! Wake up!" Harry called, trying to rouse his godson's grandmother. She too did not move, didn't so much as even twitch.

"I meant what I said Potter, Hermione is alive but she…." Draco said from the room's entrance before he paused. What should he explain to Potter? Where should he even start?

"What is it Draco? What happened to her? To both them?"

"Bloody hell Potter! I'm trying to figure out where to start, you plebian. Stop distracting me!" Draco huffed, annoyed at Harry's badgering. A few heartbeats of silence passed before Draco began speaking again.

"I am going to give you the short version for now. We, that is Hermione, Andromeda, the brat, and I joined this group a little over four months ago, or there abouts." Draco began explaining. "Hermione was dead set on coming to find you as quickly as possible, I was against it just so you know, but Andromeda agreed with her and so, after finding out your likely location, we headed here. The two of them still held on to the hope you were alive somehow. Turns out they were right. "

"About a month ago this group managed to walk and drive right through what used to be the Tennessee Magical Creature Preserve. Nothing much happened until the last night we spent in the woods. A swarm of some strange Doxies attacked the four of us. Hermione and Andromeda were bitten many times. The Doxies were strange, their colors were different than normal and, it turned out, their venom was much stronger. Either way, with so many bites the standard Doxy antiserum would never have worked." The tears of relief Harry had been holding in changed to tears of despair as he listened to Draco's recounting. He didn't try to stop them from falling,

"Why were the Doxies out in the first place? Did someone release them?"

"Potter, all the animals were out. The wards had fallen. There was nothing keeping them from muggle world by the time we got there."

"But why were the wards….never mind. I thought she was dead, how is she alive?"

"Simple Potter, she never died." Draco stated.

"But the spell! I used the pointme spell and it show red and wouldn't stop spinning!" Harry argued. He had done the spell right! He even had checked it. Did that mean the others were alive too? Hope blossomed anew in his chest. She was alive! Andromeda and Teddy were alive! The others could be too.

"What the hell did you do? That shouldn't have happened."

"Well it did"

"Then you did something wrong." Draco reasoned

"You can't mess up the spell Malfoy! It's four words!"

"And you couldn't even string four words together correctly? I thought you were slow, but even I am impressed." The Malfoy heir rejoined at Harry's expense.

"Shut up you git! I thought she was dead! I thought I was the only one left."

"Even if the world did end Potter, it still wouldn't solely revolve around you."

"Don't make me curse you! Look here, I'll even show you." Harry responded, taking out his wand and laying it on his upturned palm.

"Point me Hermione Weasley." He intoned. The spell took hold and the wand started to spin in a lazy circle, its tip a bright, glowing red. Harry looked up at Malfoy with a smug expression. He had proven it wasn't working correctly!

The momentary flash of victory he felt was soon replaced by anger when Draco barked out a laugh.

"What's so funny? The spell isn't working!" Harry demanded. His patients were already thinning and Draco's attitude was, as always, grating on ones nerves.

"You're doing it wrong. Like I said." Draco responded. His face was screwed up into a holier-than-thou smirk. Oh how Harry hated that smirk.

"How can I be doing it wrong? It works on me."

"I'm sure it does Potter. But you are using the wrong name."

"What? How is that the wrong name?" Harry questioned, bewildered by the blonde's statement.

"You are using the wrong name." Draco annunciated, "She is still a Granger."

"Still a…she didn't marry Ron?"

"No."

"What? Why!?"

"That's not my story to tell Potter! Do you want to hear the rest of what happened to her or not?" Draco asked with a large amount of anger in his voice. Just talking about it brought up memories Draco would like to forget. And it truly wasn't his story to tell. Harry just nodded dumbly. Well, more dumbly than normal, in the blonde's opinion anyway. Draco resumed his story.

"Unfortunately, we didn't even have a drop of antivenom, much less the concentrated antidote. The others think they are just sick. The venom kept damaging their bodies so the Know-It-All cast a cooling charm on the both of em for some crazy reason about 'slowing down their bodily functions' or some such nonsense. It worked though, for a time, but it wasn't enough. A week ago I had to put them in magical stasis so they wouldn't die. That's why they are like they are. But they are alive." Draco explained. Harry stood there, staring down at Hermione while he listened to Draco. He had thought she was dead. Either way, she was alive, the words 'for now' echoed in his mind.

"So we need a more potent variant of Doxy Antivenom?"

"Not only that, we need restorative draughts and possibly several vials of pain reliever potion. That's what Granger thought anyway. The venom has had a long time to do its work Potter. And it was a mutant half-breed one as well! Who knows what else it did."

"Okay….where do we get it?" Harry asked, tearing his eyes away from his best friend and looking at Draco.

"Don't you think, if it were that easy, we would have done it already?" Draco asked with a scoff

"How the hell should I know Malfoy? Where can we get some?"

"We can't get some Potter. The plants don't grow here. We simply can't get the ingredients in this climate. "

"What about a magical shop? I heard they have them all over America." Harry proposed next.

"That won't work either." Draco responded, his face blanking.

"Why not?" Harry asked, frustration and desperation tinging his voice.

"Because they're all gone Potter."

"What are? The ingredients?"

"The shops Potter."

Harry's stomach dropped at the implications of what Draco had just said.

"How can they all be gone? Did you look?" Harry demanded. It would be just like Draco to reject something out of hand if he thought it would be too much work.

"I know Potter, trust me, I know."

"Trust you? Don't make me laugh Malfoy!"

"Never mind! I don't care if you trust me! But the stores are gone, so much is just…..gone." Draco replied, his voice going quiet and horse towards the end. Harry looked at him in surprise. He had rarely seen Draco express that much emotion, especially in front of him.

"Well…what about Hermione's NeverEverEnding Pouch? Or her trunk? There isn't anything to we can use in those?"

"No Potter, there isn't! She doesn't even have the pouch or trunk anymore. And who is this 'we'? If I recall, you were terrible at potions." Draco responded acidly. Harry didn't pay any attention to it though. Draco's comments concerned him far worse.

"She never left the Burrow without her trunk and pouch. One was a gift from Ron and one was a gift from her parents. What happened to them?"

"They were destroyed Potter…." Draco drawled. Normally, he would have found it amusing to watch the Gryffindor golden boy panic like he was. But after the last six months, he found he couldn't take pleasure in even Harry's suffering.

"How?"

"I don't know, they got damaged and malfunctioned."

"What? How!"

"Look I don't know how exactly. Hermione said she knows but she didn't want to explain it until she was sure." Draco responded harshly. He had felt like an idiot when she had started explaining about shells or chills or whatever and bacterima or something so small you can't see it. For the most part, Draco thought she was full of it.

"All I can tell you is that trunks ended up being dangerous. Anything with an expanded capacity did, really. Things just…started going wrong somehow. "

"What about my trunk?" Harry asked suddenly, surprising Draco.

"What trunk? You have a trunk?"

"Yeah, the one Hermione convinced me to get to replace the standard issue Auror trunk. " He replied, pulling out his chain and revealing his shrunken trunk. When he looked up at Draco he was surprised to see the look of amazement on the young Slytherin's face.

"Harry bloody Potter strikes again. Sodding wonderful." Draco muttered under his breath. How in the bloody hell did he still have his trunk?

"What do you have in there Potter?" Draco asked with what would pass as enthusiasm.

"I don't know, lots of stuff. Do you know the ingredients you need?"

"Of course I do Potter! I'll have you know, all my tutors said I was a prodigy at potions!" Draco responded, sounding both indignant and pompous. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Finite Incantatem." Harry called out after he had placed his trunk on the ground in the only space available. The container quickly resumed its normal size.

"Merlin Potter, you don't know how lucky you are." Draco said in awe. Harry just shrugged before shoving his wand in the third keyhole and opening the lid to reveal the dedicated potions ingredient section of his trunk. Once the lid was popped open, Draco moved forward to get a better look.

"Po…Potter! How do you still have all this!?" Draco stammered. The compartment was chalk full with various potion supplies, all in stasis and fresh. It was ridiculous to consider such a treasure trove was in Potter's hands. While the Galleon amount spent on all this was indeed impressive, it was the fact that the golden boy of Gryffindor, who was nearly as bad as Longbottom had been in potions, had all this that irked Draco something fierce.

"Sweet Merlin Potter, is this the Master's Starter Kit?" Draco asked as he spied several rare ingredients that he knew cost a fortune. Gillyweed was two hundred galleons an ounce for Merlin sakes!

"Hermione recommended it in case I ever wanted to try and improve my potion skills. Will there be enough?" Harry asked anxiously, his earlier anger and irritation towards Draco gone. In the past, while he was still young, Harry had taken to lying to himself about several things. One such thing was that Draco was terrible at everything. Now though, he accepted the fact that the Malfoy heir was leaps and bounds better at creating potions than he was.

"It's hard to say…I need lacewing flies and the hearts of flubberworms for both the restorative draughts and the Doxy antivenom…." Draco replied absent mindedly, thinking hard calculating the potion requirements. He didn't know how many they would need…and the only way to be sure was to take the two out of stasis to run medical spells all over them. That option had all sorts of things that could go wrong however…

"Damn!" Draco said suddenly. No matter how he divvied it up, there just were not enough ingredients to make more than two restorative draughts and two high potency doxy antivenom.

"Whats wrong?" Harry asked with worry.

"There isn't enough. The restorative draughts are almost as important as the antivenom. There isn't enough to make the amount we need."

"I don't remember all that I have but I still have some potions left in another section." Harry said, causing Draco to slowly turn and look the boy savior in the eyes.

"Why, in the name of Magic, didn't you say something before you bloody imbecile!" Draco yelled suddenly.

"It didn't come to mind!" Harry yelled back defensively.

"'It didn't come to mind?'" Draco parroted back, doing a poor impression of Harry. At least Harry thought so.

"I was thinking of Hermione being, you know, alive! Just budge over you git!" Harry spat out, pushing Malfoy out of the way and closing the lid. He stuck his wand in a new keyhole before twisting and opening the lid. Draco pushed him aside the second the lid opened. Rather than get angry….well ok he was angry at being shoved, but instead of retaliating Harry took in Draco's frantic movements as he searched through his potion stockpile.

'He seems really driven…' Harry though in confusion. Who would have thought Draco Malfoy would be working at a frantic pace to save a muggle-born?

Draco sorted through the potions in the last Potter's trunk with furious efficiency. 'At least the bottles are labeled' Draco though with a snort. He had half expected bottle being strewn all which ways with no identifiable markings at all!

Still, even not fully stocked, Potter's potion section was a massive windfall, especially in the current circumstances. The young Malfoy was able to find four…four restorative draughts and even a single use vial of standard strength Doxy antvenom! He quickly pulled them out along with three pain reliever potions. Standing up, he took all the bottles and vials and placed them on the night stand/table thing inside the bedroom of the camper.

"Open the ingredients back up Potter. We might have a chance now." Draco commanded, lining up the potions in two separate groups, one for each woman in stasis. The Doxy antivenom was a real boon, Draco cursed and praised Harry's luck once more. He could use the one dose in conjunction with the higher potency one, giving it more volume and increasing the period in which it was effective.

Forty five seconds later and Draco was kneeling back at the trunk pulling ingredients out hand over fist, passing them to Harry as he went. Two cutting knives and a magical chopping board along with numerous empty jars soon made their way into Harry's hands as well.

For his part, Harry was just grateful that Draco was willing to use his knowledge to help. Harry had briefly considered what he would have to do, either plead or threaten the Malfoy heir to get the job done. Luckily neither option was needed as Draco worked at a furious pace with no additional prodding.

"Can you dice Potter?" Draco suddenly questioned.

"What?"

"Dice Potter, dice! How did you get the grade you got in potions?" Draco replied heatedly, causing Harry's face to burn from both anger and embarrassment.

"I can dice Malfoy."

"Get to it then, Dice the melborne leaves and the flubberworm hearts. Ill chop the flies and grind the doxy skin to powder."

Harry and Draco spent the next half-hour preparing the ingredients for the variety of potions. Light had begun to creep up into the sky. Morning had arrived.

"Alright. Put each ingredient into a separate container. " Draco commanded, bottling his own set of prepared ingredients. Harry quickly followed suit.

"Okay, what now?"

"Now, Potter, I go to the fire and start preparing potions. You can do…whatever it is you do. But first, get the other cauldron." Draco replied, before grabbing the filled containers and the single pewter cauldron. Harry picked up his second pewter cauldron before he moved to the camper's door immediately, opening and holding it open for Draco to come out.

"Finally learning your place Potter? Serving a Malfoy looks good on you." Draco said with a superior smirk while walking off. Harry just glowered at the other wizard as he pursued him. It was impossible not to notice the smell or that the woman who was keeling over the dead girl's body hadn't moved.

'She must have been important to her.' Harry thought with sadness. He could tell that the group, now significantly smaller, was in shock over the brutal events of the night. Some people were still milling round, Rick held his family close still. Daryl was walking around stabbing the corpse's heads. Shane was busy reloading guns and scanning for danger every now and then. Tents laid in ruins and many of the people could be seen crying over specific bodies. Harry kept walking through the destruction.

Upon reaching Draco he watched as the other wizard opened up a container of water before pouring some of it into Harry's cauldrons, complete with stirrers. He then immediately started adding a few of the ingredients to both magical pots.

"I've started Potter, it's going to take thirty minutes or more, depending on the fire's temperature." Draco said with his attention concentrated on the two pots. He had to put in several ingredients at the right time or the potion would spoil. Blast the muggles, if they weren't around he could have used magic to keep the fire temperature constant.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Harry sat down on a nearby log, half watching Draco and half thinking about the whirlwind of events that had happened. He had found a remnant of his world...had found Hermione alive! Had found Andromeda alive! Only to then have the harsh reality of their situation slap him in the face.

They were alive…for now. Oh how Harry hated whatever power kept throwing these punches. One would thing that after fulfilling the thrice damned he would get a little break.

"What about Teddy!?" Harry questioned loudly and suddenly. Damn it all! How could he forget…it was an impossible thought! Draco was there! Andromeda and Hermione were there! Those three surprises, coupled by the two women's condition had temporarily taken the precedent and had pushed Harry's thoughts about his godson to the side.

"The half-breed were-child?" Draco questioned, not taking his eyes off the cauldrons. He sat there, stirring with both hands, periodically stopping one and grabbing an ingredient to add.

"Don't talk about him like that!" Harry snapped. He had wanted to punch Malfoy then, a second strike would have been just as satisfying as the first.

"I'm just stating the facts!"

"Well don't then. Do you know or not." Harry bit out, his patients wearing thin.

"Yes Potter…I told you already." Draco replied slowly, as if talking to a slow child. Harry jumped up from his position in anger.

"What!? No you didn't! Where is he?" He demanded, yelling at the snotty Malfoy heir. His outburst then had drawn the attention of most people in the group. Shane in particular had got up from his gun work and headed over towards the two. Harry didn't pay him any mind however. His attention was focused completely on Draco.

"What...will you give me in return?" Draco asked, the hint of a smirk easily detectable in his voice.

"Wha…what! How can you ask that!?" Harry asked, flabbergasted. How…how could he ask for something in exchange?

"I already told you once Potty and you ignored me. The second time requires payment." Draco replied while continuing to stir.

"How about I don't beat you to within an inch of your life?" Harry growled out in barely repressed rage. His anger was so great that, for a moment, he felt that his previous failure of a spell against Bellatrix would easily succeed on the young Malfoy. He tossed the thought away quickly though. He had vowed to himself never to use that, never to even try that again.

It was still a tempting thought.

Shane had finally reached the two in time to hear Harry's somewhat threat. Everyone was still tense, but Shane was the Alpha Male of the group and was responsible for their wellbeing. Having just failed spectacularly that night, losing close to three questers of the group, he was on the edge of his hair trigger temper.

"Hey now, Harry was it? We don't need any of that now. Let's calm down, alright?" Shane said in what he termed his 'friendly' voice. Harry glanced up at him briefly before focusing back on Draco.

"Your presence is not useful Shane." Draco remarked after the officer's attempt at placation.

Draco was apprehensive and Shane's presence didn't reassure the Slytherin one tiny bit. He could clearly recall the threat Harry had issued to him and his family the day of their trial. Harry may not have been Head Boy or even a prefect, but he did fight Voldemort and his forces. He had gone and dueled the Dark Lord, ending the war by being the only one left alive. This was a side of Potter that not many saw, a side Draco didn't want to see pointed in his direction. Still, he did have room to maneuver. Leverage, as one might say.

Draco scoffed to cover up his unease before addressing the last Potter.

"Even you aren't that stupid of a Gryffindor. I'm the only one who can make these pot…err medicine." Draco said, quickly covering his almost mistake with the 'muggle' terminology.

"Maybe I'll wait until you're done." Harry declared menacingly.

"For Merlin sakes Potter you don't tell your victim what you're going to do! Honestly!" Harry may have been a Gryffindor but had the boy no subtlety at all? You don't just come out and tell the person what you have planned. When you do that you remove the mystery, the suspense, the anxiety over what will happen next!

"Woah Harry, that's uncalled for. You really need to calm down. I don't want to have to force you, ya' hear?" Shane said, still using his 'friendly' tone.

'Merlin save me' Draco though, exasperated. That was all he needed right now. In the middle of brewing the potion to save his las….to save the two witches lives he had a muggle throwing rocks at an angry hippogryph! Figuratively speaking of course.

"I am calm…and he has information I need!" Harry yelled.

"Be that as it may…" Shane started before Draco, deciding he had had his fun, interrupted him.

"I told you already Potter. You've already seen him." He looked up in time to see Harry's mouth drop open. The sight brought Draco a small sense of satisfaction. The world may have ended, but he still enjoyed sticking it to Boy-Who-Lived.

"Wha..What? What do you mean iv….." Harry stammered out. His concentration was so focused, his mind furiously running over all the interactions he had, that he couldn't even complete his sentence. He had already seen him? That…that was impossible! He hadn't seen him! He would have recog…..

"That woman. Jacquie!" Harry yelled out as he connected the dots. She had walked right past him and he hadn't noticed his godson!?

"Where is she?" He asked the Malfoy. After a second of no response Harry started walking towards the largest concentration of people, looking around frantically trying to spot the woman.

"Calm down man." Shane said, his tone firmer than it had been. He had only half paid attention to the conversation the two were having, most of his concentration was on the relative unknown person who had threatened a member of his group. Sure Rick said he was a good guy, but he had only known him for less than a day. He quickly stepped into Harry's path.

"Get out of my way." Harry said

"You need to calm down Harry." Rick, having been alerted to the possible trouble, said as he approached the newcomer and Shane. Loir held Carl next to her as she looked on. Arguments were somewhat common, the two most recent coming down to physical altercations. But this new person…she didn't know what to think of him. Rick said he was ok, and he had saved her and Carl from the walkers when Shane's guns jammed…but they still didn't know him well enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I need to find that woman, Jacquie." Harry responded as he looked around Shane. The majority of the group had gathered near the argument, making it easier to look them all over. When an older man with a fishing hat on moved to one side he spotted her then.

She was still carrying the child he had seen earlier. He had originally thought it was just some child from the group. Now though, now he knew better! He tried to move around the man blocking his path to head towards her but was quickly stopped in his tacks when Shane grabbed his arm.

"Easy partner." Shane said as a warning.

"Let go of me." Harry demanded.

"No can do." Shane replied simply. Harry felt his anger spike again at the man's blasé attitude. Who did he think he was?

Pulling his Auror training to the front of his mind, the green eyed wizard raised his held arm while grabbing the man's wrist with his other hand. Shane retaliated by grabbing Harry at the juncture of his neck and shoulder, hitting the pressure point and applying as much pressure as he could. While Shane was physically stronger, Harry hadn't gotten top marks as an Auror trainee for nothing. Gathering his willpower he focused his magic before punching Shane in the chest with his left hand while yelling 'Depulso' in his head. The result of the spell was underwhelming, but it added enough to his punch that Shane stumbled backwards before tripping and crashing to the ground. There were several gasps heard but Harry paid them little mind.

During the mock duel sessions at the Auror headquarters, Harry had very little success using any wandless offensive or defensive spells on other witches and wizards. During his off hours practice, he had only been able to knock a stack of books over at fifteen feet with his wandless depulso, the most common distance between duelers, making it highly ineffective as even a minor distraction. Against a muggle in a brawl however, it proved to be fairly effective in augmenting his punch.

Harry stepped around the downed man and made his way towards the woman holding his godson. His movement was stopped, however, when he heard the telltale sound of a gun being pulled from its holster.

Shane hadn't known what hit him, he didn't think that kid could punch that hard. Regardless of expectations, the kid had virtually floored him. Not making the same mistake twice, Shane pulled his service pistol from its holster. He was immensely pleased when he saw Rick pull his revolver out as well. Shane then noticed Lori and Carl in the background, both looking nervous while Lori looked closer to being shocked and scared. That riled his blood up something fierce. He licked his lips as he pointed his pistol at Harry's back.

"I don't think you need…" Draco started to say with an uneasy voice. None of this had a part in his plan to rile Potter up. If he had just listened the first time….

"Shut up Draco." Shane spat. He may not like the kid, but he was still a part of his group and he wouldn't let anyone threaten his group members.

Rick didn't understand what was going on, but one thing was certain. Whatever it was, it was spiraling out of control, and fast. He resolved to try and talk everyone down because he knew that Shane would pull the trigger if he needed to. Rick also knew that, deep down, Shane would feel terrible about killing someone over a misunderstanding, or whatever it was.

"Harry. You need to think about what you're doing." Rick said in a calm and authoritative voice, "You need to calm down. Folks are on edge enough as it is."

"I need to talk to Jacquie"

"You think I'ma 'bout to let you near her and tha' kid? No chance partner." Shane growled from his spot on the ground. He kept his gun trained on the Brit's back.

"You don't understand, that's Teddy!" Harry replied, turning towards Rick and Shane.

"So you know the boy's name. I have a mind to get you away from the group, not even counting the kid." Shane stated, slowing getting up off the ground and into a crouched position. He never wavered the gun's sight for an instant, even as the Brit turned to face them.

Harry scoffed at the man's bravado before turning back to the black woman.

"Teddy!"

"That's enough of that now!" Shane yelled as he assumed a more tactical shooting position. Rick glanced over at his partner when he heard the cocking sound. Shane was being awfully aggressive at the moment….something Rick decided to attribute to nerves from last night's attack. He still hadn't raised his own gun, however, in the hopes that whatever this situation was could still be resolved. From the desperation in Harry's voice Rick could tell it was important, that he believed the child was a Teddy he was looking for. He was about to attempt to calm Harry again when a soft voice interrupted him.

"Uncie Hawwee?" Teddy questioned sleepily, twisting and turning in the blanket. Teddy knew that voice, he had heard it enough at the Quidditch matches he had gone to with his Uncie Hawwee and Uncie Won. They sure liked to yell at the people on the brooms. They must always be doing something bad!

But Hawwee was here? He hadn't been before. Teddy would be so happy if he was. Ever since his granma and auntie got sick he had been awful lonely. D'agoon had helped some, but he wasn't as much fun. He twisted farther to get around the warm blanket he was in and look for his Uncie. His blue eyes (for now) locked onto his godfather and immediately his drowsiness was gone, replaced by a bubbly joy.

"Uncie Hawwee! " Teddy yelled, his reaching an extremely high octave as he squirmed in the nice lady's arms. She was nice and warm, but he needed to get to his Hawwee! The rest of the group, meanwhile, was caught flatfooted at the sudden change in atmosphere. Before, where there had been tension and the significant chance of a physical altercation, now there was a much lighter feeling. Even Shane had lowered his gun slightly at the happy tone the boy had used.

Harry's heart had stopped the second he saw his godson's face. It restarted, beating faster than ever before when he heard his happy, chirpy yell.

"Teddy! Merlin Teddy yes! Yes it's me!" Harry yelled as tears streaked down his face. He ran towards his godson, headless of the looks from the other people or the potential gun at his back. The woman, Jacquie, still hadn't put Teddy down. That didn't matter to the two year old metamorphmagus though who simply extended his hands in the universal 'hug me' sign, all the while yelling 'Uncie Hawwee!'.

Harry was unequivocally, irrationally, deliriously happy to oblige. As soon as his godson was in his arms, Harry squeezed him in one of the happiest hugs he had ever given in his entire life. He wasn't ashamed of the tears that steamed down his face as he kissed the brownish (for now) mop of hair. To think that, just two weeks ago, Harry was under the delusion that Teddy had been dead. He had lost all hope. Now, now he felt like he would burst with all the emotions he was feeling. Happiness, relief, joy, all magnified by a factor of ten! Harry didn't know how happy Teddy was to see him, but if the death grip he currently held around his neck was any indication, he was more than pleased.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Shane stood staring at the scene incredulously. He had since lowered his gun but was still shocked at the turn of events. It hadn't even been a week since Rick was reunited with his family, only to now have a second family reunion? What were the odds? He chanced a glance over at Rick and was not surprised to see the man having tears in his eyes.

Rick watched on with a wealth of emotions. While it had been a rocky start, the reunion was the definition of heartwarming. He looked down at Shane, giving him a small nod and a smile to show that everything was alright now. Rick turned back then, to his own family, and saw the myriad of emotions playing on his wife's face. It was clear to him that she was reliving that moment, five days ago, when she and Carl saw him alive for the first time. He gestured for them to come over. Carl detached from his mother's side and ran to his father, encasing him in a watery hug when he bent down to his level. The former officer stood up, his son in his arms as he wife walked up to his side. She gave him a brief, teary smile before hugging both him and Carl in one big family hug.

Shane, after standing up, looked on with envy at the Rick and his family. He was happy his best friend, his brother in all but blood, was alive. So he squashed that nasty feeling of jealously as best he could. When he looked at the other reunited family he saw that the majority of the group, save for Andrea, had gathered around the happy duo offering their congratulations.

'Something's gotta be done. And soon.' Shane thought as he looked at Andrea kneeling over he sister's corpse. They had already made sure the rest of the bodies were well and truly dead, the only one left was Amy. He resolved to deal with it in short order.

Draco, meanwhile, was cursing his lack of attention on the potions. Potter's sappy reunion with his half-breed were-child had stolen his attention almost long enough to ruin the potions. He scowled at himself as he refocused and continued his work. The bloody Potter heir had so much luck it was unbelievable. Here, amongst the end of humanity, he was actually able to find family and friends. The damn 'Chosen one' didn't know how good he had it, how lucky he was. It was all unfair! After the Manor…

Draco quickly shot down the thoughts about his former home, taking a deep and settling breath. He had to concentrate. Anger and sadness would only get in the way of the delicate process he was currently engaged in. He had almost botched the whole thing once already. He had to save And….the two witches and he would be damned if they died because he didn't concentrate hard enough.

Harry and Teddy meanwhile got reacquainted with each other while the rest of the group passed along their happiness at the newly reunited family. Jacquie stepped forward as the others left and cleared her throat.

"Hey there honey. We got off on the wrong foot. My name's Jacquie" She said and offered her out of habit hand. She quickly retracted it with a laugh and a small smile from Harry. He did have both hands full, after all.

"Nice you meet you Jacquie." Teddy chose that time to pull his face from where he had buried it in Harry's neck and look around.

"Ja'quee! This is Hawwee!" the boy explained. He pointed at Harry's face, as if to make sure she knew who he was talking about.

"That's great sweetie! I know you've been missing him a long time."

"Ya'huh!" Teddy said before turning back to Harry with a big smile. The young wizard shifted his godson into one hand so he could use the other to tweak the boy's nose. Teddy immediately clasped both of his hands over his nose with a pout.

"Hawwee!" the boy wined at his treatment. Harry just laughed before turning back to the woman.

"I'm Harry. And you already know this little trouble maker!"

" 'm not a trouble macur!" Teddy replied with a supreme amount of indignation, eliciting a laugh from both adults.

"Thank you for taking care of him. I..I can't tell you how much it means that I found him!" Harry choked out through the lump in his throat. Mere words were not enough to convey his gratitude but they would have to do for now. Teddy was in his arms, alive! Jacquie smiled at his attempt.

"It's ok, he's a great kid. Aren't you kiddo?" She asked.

"Yep!" Teddy replied, popping the p and nodding his head vigorously. Harry smiled at his antics.

"Those are some interesting pots." She suddenly remarked, looking at the cauldrons Draco was presiding over. Harry's good mood suddenly became more nervousness than happiness.

"Yeah…they're good for brewing strong teas…you know…errr homeopathic things." Harry lied badly, saying the first thought that came to mind.

To his enormous relief, Jacquie just nodded.

"Alright. Well, I have to help with the cleanup. I look forward to getting to know you better Uncie Hawwee." Jacquie said with a smile before walking off leaving the two alone together.

"I am so, so happy to have found you Teddy. Did you miss me?"

"Yeah! You were seeping wast time I saw you. Were you tired?" Teddy asked. Harry had always loved how inquisitive Teddy had been, even as a child. He knew he was going to be one smart lad one day.

"Yes Teddy, I was very sleepy but I'm all better now."

"Granma always says to get to bed early or you not get a good night sleep!"

"That's won't get a good nights sleep."

"Dats what I said." Teddy replied in confusion. Harry just chuckled as he walked back to the log he had sat on earlier. That action had a very humorous consequence…

"D'agoon! D'agoon! Look look! Hawwee is here."

"I told you not to call me that name!" Malfoy snapped with surprisingly no heat. He kept his eyes glued to the cauldrons.

"But dats your name silly!" Teddy said with a huff. Harry thought that was priceless, Draco thought it was demeaning.

'Blasted child! When will he learn to pronounce things correctly!' Draco thought as he added the last bit of ingredient to the two potions. The Restorative draught and the Doxy antienom were odd in the sense that they took the exact same time to produce and shared a number of ingredients.

'Now all that's left is to wait for them to finish.' Draco mused.

"How long until then?" Harry asked as Teddy played with his necklace.

"What?" Draco asked. Had he said that out loud?

"You said all that's left is to wait. How long?"

"Approximately forty minutes. " Draco responded as he repositioned himself on the log.

"No! We bury our dead, we don't burn them!" Glenn yelled from the other side of camp. Harry and Draco recognized it instantly while having not so dissimilar thoughts.

"He is such an overdramatic woman." Draco said mostly to himself. Harry mildly agreed with him, but he would never say it out loud. If there was one thing he learned with the Vatos, it was that energy was at a premium. Digging so many holes just seemed….like a colossal waste of effort.

"So tell me Malfoy, how did you get here with Hermione, Andromeda, and Teddy?" Harry asked as politely as he could stomach, given the person he asked. He still held Teddy in his arms, randomly poking his nose while the boy tried to swat his hand away. The quiet giggles was music to Harry's ears.

"I don't want to talk about it Potter." Draco replied, cringing inwardly. Who did he think he was? Asking such questions…

"Ohhh D'agoon tells the bestest stories Uncie Hawwee! The bestest!" Teddy exclaimed, waving his hands in the air to emphasize his point. Harry was then treated to the sight of Draco pinking slightly, mist likely in embarrassment.

"I do not tell good stories!" The Malfoy heir argued spluttered back.

"Do too!"

"No I don't!"

"Do too, do too, doootooooo!" Teddy sang back.

"Blasted child! " Draco murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose. Harry, meanwhile, was trying to hold on to Teddy while shaking with laughter.

"It's not funny Potter!" Draco snarled. Not even a day in camp and the bloody Golden lion was ganging up on him already.

"You…you're arguing with a two year old." Harry managed to get out.

Draco had opened his mouth to spit out a particularly scathing remark, no really, Potter would have needed an ointment, when Jacquie's frantic voice cut through the camp.

"Hes bit! Hes bit! A walker bit Jim!" Jacquie yelled, pointing at Jim. Harry and Draco both turned their heads sharply at the yell. Someone was bit? Harry held Teddy closer, keeping him from running off as he scanned the area. All the walkers were down and truly dead…

Everyone else began to gather, most picking up weapons on the way. Soon a man that Harry assumed to be Jim was standing in the center of a loose circle. He had picked up a shovel at some point and was using it to fend off the others. Harry and Draco watched as T-Dog ran up from behind Jim and incapacitated his arms while Daryl moved forward. He lifted Jim's shirt before letting it go and backing away. The brief time skin was shown was more than enough for everyone to see the giant bite on his side.

"I'm ok, I'm ok. I'm ok…..I'm ok." Jim repeated, over and over again. His voice got quieter and quieter as reality set in. For a brief second, Harry had thought he had seen some sort of…transparent blackness pulsating in the wound. But it was covered up just as quickly as it was revealed and no one else seemed to see it.

"He's not ok." Draco said from his log, his attention back on the cauldrons. Draco didn't really care if Jim was bit. He liked the guy, sure. He was decent, for a muggle anyway. Easygoing and a good listener. But the simple fact of the matter was, he was going to die. Jim was already dead; it would just take his body some time to finally realize it.

"I know Draco. Do we…know how long it will take?" Harry asked, censoring his words around Teddy. It may be a lost cause, what with all the death the boy had undoubtedly seen, but he would be damned if he didn't try.

"No…yes…it varies Potter. Amy over there hasn't gotten up yet and it's been hours now." Draco replied, absently gesturing to woman kneeling next to the girl's corpse. Harry watched as Shane and T-Dog tied Jim's arms to his side and then fastened him to the back of the camper. Several small congregations of people were huddled together talking, discussing no doubt, what had happened. The green eyed wizard turned his attention back to Teddy and Draco. He was still an outsider here, having just come into the group so he felt that he didn't have a say.

"They're ready." Draco suddenly announced, taking the cauldrons off the fire and pouring them into several bottles. Harry stood up carefully, still mindful of the precious cargo he held in his arms.

"Wats ready?" Teddy asked looking between Draco and his godfather.

"Medicine for Grammy and auntie Hermione, Ted."

"To make dem wake up?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

"Ok, lets dooo its!" Teddy said with a serious nod. After all, if his granma and auntie had been asleep for WAY too long! If he had been asleep that long he would have been yelled at! They were very naughty!

Harry was in full agreement with his godson.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The three magicals had proceeded at a hurried clip back to and into the camper. Harry carefully placed Teddy down on one of the bench seats before ordering him to stay put. Draco opened up the two containers of Doxy antivenom before drawing is wand. Harry had to marvel at how concealed Draco's holster was. He hadn't even been wearing long sleeves!

"Alright, what now Malfoy?" Harry asked, completely unsure about the procedure.

"I need to magic the potions into both of them. The antivenom first and the restorative draught at ten minute intervals. "

"Why ten minute intervals?"

"Really Potter? Did you ever pay attention in potions? It takes the body ten minutes to completely absorb a restorative draught. They need three a piece." Draco replied in annoyance. How Harry got into Slughorn's class he would never know.

"First I have to release the stasis….one at a time." Draco said as he positioned a bottle of antivenom on each of the women's stomach. After the placement was completed, Draco took a step back and turning towards the camper door. A few wand waves later and a notice me not charm was palced on the door to keep any….interruptions at bay. Turing back to the witches and taking in a deep, steading breath, he started the process.

"Finite Incantatem." Draco cast over Hermione. Almost immediately her peaceful face contorted into a small grimaced. Even unconscious she was in pain….Draco quickly magiced the potion into Granger's stomach. Both young men held their breaths as the potion did its work. At the five minute mark Draco cast a diagnostic spell over the prone witch.

"It's working." Draco said after interpreting the results of the scan.

"How can you tell?"

"The venom levels are dropping. I'm going to give it another five minutes…"

"How come she isn't waking up?"

"Merlin Potter, give it a chance. The venom has spread through most of her body…there is a lot of damage." Draco replied.

"You do know the transference spell correct?"

"Yeah…."

"Good…good. Okay. I am going to setup the restorative draughts. Only transfer one every ten minutes, understood?" Draco asked as he placed three of Harry's restorative draughts on Hermione's belly.

"Yeah. Got it."

"Alright…here we go." Draco let out a ragged breath. He quickly magiced the potion into Andromeda stomach after he canceled the stasis spell on her. With that bottle empty, he removed it and positioned the three restorative draughts.

"OK…first one Potter!" Draco ordered. Harry cast the spell as soon as Draco spoke. A slightly blurry wall of text appeared over each woman as the Malfoy heir cast the diagnostic spell over them both. Harry had no idea what he was reading, but Draco seemed pleased.

"Good….good things are moving nicely. Second one Potter!" Draco commanded as he magiced the first restorative draught into Andromeda. Soon enough, all the potions had been absorbed into the two witches' bodies. Harry looked on hopefully while Draco kept casting he diagnostic spell.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"It's good. The damage to their bodies is getting better."

"How long until they wake up?"

"I have no idea Potter! The doxy venom had enough time to damage all their major organs so it could be awhile. " Draco responded, keeping a close eye on the diagnostic spell results. Harry decided to back out and go hold Teddy as the other wizard seemed to have everything under control.

"Are they up now?" Teddy asked after he returned to his new favorite position in Harry's arms.

"Not yet little guy. But soon." Harry promised. He listened to Teddy's random babbling about the 'adventures' he had while Harry was 'sleeping'. The young metamorphous seemed to have particularly enjoyed some type of frog hunt.

A few seconds into Teddy's next story a small commotion happened near the camper outside. Raised and tense voices could be heard but not understood. Harry shushed Teddy for a second in the hopes that he could strain his ears enough to comprehend what the others were saying but was unable too. The argument kept going for long enough that Harry was concerned.

"Draco, watch Teddy. I'm going to go see what they are arguing about."

"Whatever Potter. Ever since Rick came back Shane's been arguing with everyone. It's probably nothing."

"I'm still going." Harry responded before patting Teddy on the head and exiting the camper. He carefully moved around the woman, Andrea he learned, when immediately saw the small throng of people, including Rick and Shane, in a fierce debate. Harry approached them and listened in.

"The military was on the front lines, we saw them get overrun. We all saw it happen!" Rick spoke with conviction.

"The CDC…it would be the only place that they could fight whatever this is and win. The military would have guarded it at all costs. There has to be someone there. Shelter, food, protection! Maybe even a cure for Jim. "

"It's an awful risk Rick." Shane rejoined.

"A risk we need to take! We can't stay here. Where else could we go? "

The surviving group members continued to argue about what should be done with Jim and what direction the group should head off to. Everything got real heated for moment when Daryl grabbed his pickaxe and went to kill Jim. Rick had put a gun to Daryl head at that point. The camp had gone silent at the confrontation, making Rick's words easy to hear.

"We don't kill the living." Rick said sternly. Harry thought that was entirely hypocritical. He was pointing a firearm at his head for Merlin sakes! Daryl soon stomped off in a random direction away from the group, obviously still angry. Rick then grabbed Jim and started hauling him towards the camper's entrance, Shane following closely behind. Everyone in camp was able to hear the two's conversation about the bitten group member.

"Where are you taking him Rick?" Shane asked.

"I'm putting him in the back of the camper. " Rick responded.

Harry started badly when he heard that. Before he could start talking Shane came to the rescue.

"What? You can't do that Rick, its occupied." Shane said quickly.

"Occupied? Oh…right….the Brits…how are they doing?"

"Not too well. The blonde brat has been taking care of them and they weren't walkers last time I checked."

"Fine…lets put him in the back of the van then." Rick decided, amending his plan and heading towards the truck. Harry let out a small sigh of relief. He hadn't wanted to cause waves…but brining an infected man so close to Hermione and Andromeda? That simply wasn't an option.

The group split up then, each member going around to do some sort of chore. Harry just stood there, watching, debating on how to contribute to the cleanup. During his internal debate Glenn headed in his direction.

"Hey Harry." The Asian greeted.

"Hey Glenn, how're you holding up?" Harry asked. The man was still slightly pale and jittery from the attack.

"I'm doing fine. Its just…all that happened? All the people who died….you can't get used to that." Glenn responded, his voice thick with emotion as he remembered the attack.

"No…but it would make it easier." Harry responded. His mind jumped back to the war and all the death that had happened in its wake. He had thought, many times, if it wouldn't be better to just…turn off his emotions. To not be distracted by grief, anger, and sadness. Now, like every time back then, he decided against it.

"Easier? Sure, but we wouldn't be human anymore. What's the point in living and fighting walkers when you are already dead inside?" Glenn responded. Harry was mildly impressed with the strength of his conviction on the matter. Maybe there was someone strong inside Glenn. Neville, after all, had surprised everyone with his strength of character in the end. Harry grimaced slightly at the pain he felt in his chest. Just thinking of his fellow Gryffindor caused his heart to ache.

The entire camp stopped in an instant when a soft moaning could be heard. People frantically looked around for the source of the sound before focusing solely on Andrea and her dead sister. Well, mostly dead seeing as she was moving and moaning again. Harry felt a slight chill at the sight. He hadn't seen the young girl alive, but the fact that he knew she had been before the attack made his stomach turn. Sure he had fought walkers before…but not fresh ones, not ones that had been talking and laughing…alive mere hours ago.

Several group members, including Rick and Shane, headed over to the newly reanimated corpse with their weapons drawn. Everyone stopped their advance on the corpse when they saw Andrea holding it up to her body in a hug. The newly animated walker snapped desperately trying to tear off pieces of Andrea's flesh. Harry didn't know whether to be revolved or touched at the sight of the woman paying her last respects to her sister.

The situation came to an abrupt end when Andrea leaned forward.

"I'm so sorry. I love you Amy!" She called out before putting her pistol to the walker's head and pulling the trigger. The gunshot echoed all around the camp signaling the end of the newly turned walker. Dale hurried over and wrapped the distraught woman in a fierce hug. Harry made his way back to the camper thinking about the recent event.

'That gunshot was so close, I bet Teddy is scared.' He thought as he spared one last glance at the sobbing woman before entering the camper. Harry could see Teddy holding onto Draco's leg as the both of them watched the two uncurious women, seemingly unconcerned with the recent excitement.

"Are dey going to wake up sooon?" Teddy asked.

"Maybe."

"When is that?"

"I don't know brat."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't tell how long it will take to repair all the damage."

"Why?"

"I'm not a healer. I only learned these things from Madam Pomfrey before we had to evacuate Hogwarts."

"Why?"

"Because I never considered being a healer as a profession for a Malfoy."

"Why?"

"Stop with the bloody 'why's Teddy!" Draco snapped when his patients finally ended, earning a strong huff from the little boy. Harry, for his part in the classic 'why' paradox, was amazed at what he had seen. He could easily see that Teddy was not upset in the slightest by Draco's rude and abrupt shutdown of his questions. Indeed, Draco hadn't sounded malicious in the smallest bit. It was almost like the two had that situation happen often…

Harry felt another pang in his chest at the thought. He had missed so much of Teddy's life! He had missed his second birthday! He hadn't been there to protect him, to help him during this nightmare of an apocalypse. Harry could easily sense the underlying jealousy he had of Malfoy's interaction with his godson. It irked him as well as relived him, for some reason.

"What was that all about Potter?" Draco asked, looking over his shoulder at the wizard. Teddy's attention was quickly diverted back to Harry. The little boy ran over and jumped into his godfather's waiting arms.

"An argument about where to go and putting down a new walker." Harry informed, shifting Teddy around a bit to get more comfortable.

"Ah" the young Malfoy responded.

"D'agoon says he don't know when granma and auntie will wake up." Teddy said, eliciting an exasperated sight from Draco at the constant butchery of his name.

Harry ignored Draco in favor of talking with his godson. Again, he was regaled with stories of adventure and triumph by the two year old. The broken or mispronounced words making Harry smile as he gently corrected them. Sometime during the storytelling Draco had sat down and closed his eyes. He didn't sleep though, as every few minutes he would recast the diagnostic spell to keep an eye on their patients' progress.

Approximately two hours later a bastardized service was held for the members of the group that lost their lives the previous night. Everyone just stood around the graves and mourned in their own way. Harry and Teddy attended while Draco stood in the doorway of the camper. Few words were spoken. The most emotional part happened when Harry's heart went out to Andrea as she struggled to move her sister's body into its grave. She waved off all efforts of help, demanding that she do it herself. No one, not Hermione or Ron or Luna had been allowed to help Harry dig the grave for Dobby. So yeah, Harry knew how she felt and had to admire her drive.

The group quickly dispersed after the makeshift funerals were over, Draco immediately disappearing back into the rear of the camper. Rick, Harry saw, headed over to a Latino family and engaged in a conversation. Harry and Teddy walked around talking with several people. The woman and young girl Harry had saved near the camper during the attack were very pleasant. The woman, Carol, and her daughter, Sophia absolutely adored Teddy. The young girl kept the two year old entertained while Harry learned more about Carol.

"We would help Hermione and 'Dromie take care of Teddy every now and then. Sophia loves him to bits. " Carol told harry as the two adults watched the children play.

"It's good for her." She concluded. And it was true. Every time Sophia was feeling down or her…husband was being particularly vicious, Teddy always managed to cheer her up. Carol hadn't gotten to spend a great deal of time with the child due to her being 'forbidden' by her now dead husband from having anything to do with him.

"He ain't your child. Deal with our own woman." He had said one night. Carol had no choice but to follow his order.

Now though, it was like breathing fresh air again. The abusive asshole was dead and she still had her daughter. Things were looking up.

Another fifteen minutes of swapping stories passed before Rick and the Latino family moved towards the center of the gathering.

"Alright everyone, gather up. We need to talk." Rick said. Everyone grouped up again, all looking at Rick expectantly.

"We've decided on a direction. We are heading to the CDC." Rick stated bluntly. Several people looked around the group gauging the reactions which, for the most part, were subdued.

"I think it's our best shot. And it's the closest possible place of safety." Rick explained. Everyone seemed to be in agreement, even Shane stood by Rick's decision. Harry also felt it was a good idea. Since this was a disease of some sort, the governments of the world would have poured money, people, resources, and military protection right into places like the CDC in the hopes of combating the infection. It seemed like the logical decision.

"We're not going with you." The Latino man Rick had been talking with earlier stated. Several people gasped in shock.

"Are you sure?" Rick asked. He really didn't want to lose anyone, and going off alone was a recipe for disaster.

"We're sure. We talked about it. We have some family in Birmingham, we are going there." The wife stated.

"Going off all on your own with no one to watch your back?" Shane asked, incredulous.

"I've got to do what's right for my family." The husband said with conviction, stressing several words as he looked at Rick. Shane looked to Rick, both sharing a nod.

"If your sure…" Rick started…

"We are."

"Well…alright then." He responded with a nod. Shane and Rick then rifled around in their bag before pulling out a revolver and a box of ammo.

"The box is half full." Shane said as he handed it over. Daryl scoffed before heading over to his vehicle.

"Good luck to you." Rick said to the man and his family.

"Good luck to all of you." The man responded. Everyone gathered then bade the leaving family tearful farewells. Teddy even ran over and hugged one of the smaller children before coming back to Harry with tears in his eyes. After the goodbyes were done everyone headed to their vehicles and prepared to move out. Harry, hand in hand with Teddy, made his way back to the camper with Dale and Glenn in his wake. The four boarded the camper, Dale getting into the driver's seat while Glenn rode in the passenger one. Harry and Teddy headed towards the kitchen sitting area where Draco was currently sitting. The green eyed wizard took a good look at the young Malfoy. He looked haggard, tired and his face was drawn. He looked exhausted, a small pang of empathy hitting Harry at the sight.

"Do you want me to take over Draco? I can watch the two of them while you rest."

"I'm fine Potter." Was his quick reply.

"You don't look fine Draco. In fact, you look like you might fall over any second."

"I said I'm fine Potter!" Draco snapped. Harry just held up his hands.

"Okay okay, I was just trying to help you. Remind me never to do it again."

"Noted." Draco snarked.

The trip fell into silence then; the only sounds were the camper running down the road. Teddy had fallen asleep shortly after they had started moving. Harry was surprised at how much energy the kid had. It made him feel old.

Four hours into the trip the camper stalled out after a loud pop, steam pouring from the front of the vehicle. Alarmed, Harry unbuckled and headed to the front of the camper. Dale maneuvered the crippled camper off to the side of the road, the convoy stopping behind them. The four (awake) adults in the camper had trooped outside. Harry following Dale and Glenn while Draco trailed behind bored. He had no idea what could have happened to the stupid muggle machine. But he was bored watching two unconscious people, no matter how important, so he thought a few minutes of….something else was called for. Besides, they weren't close to waking up, so he felt it was safe to leave them.

Harry reentered the camper after the situation was fully discovered. A hose had blown and couldn't be repaired. Everything was falling apart and the group didn't have the resources to fix the leak, even temporarily. He took a seat next to his curled up godson. Harry ran his hand over his face before looking down at the sleeping Teddy.

'Its just one thing after another.' Harry thought morosely. They were stuck currently, waiting for the repairs to finish using the hose Shane and T-Dog retrieved on their surprisingly quick run. This was certainly not an enviable situation. To make matters worse, the group had come to a decision that didn't sit well with the young wizard.

After Jacque had told them that Jim was really bad off, she went on to say was afraid he wouldn't be able to even make the trip, much less hold out for a cure.

"He's in such terrible pain." She said through her tears. Rick had gone to talk to him then. Harry didn't know exactly what was said, but the expression on Rick's face when he came back from the van was one of anguish.

Jim had elected to stay behind. To die alone in a forest. Harry laid his hand on Teddy's head and petted his hair absent mindedly as he lost himself in thought. He didn't know how he felt about leaving the man behind to die alone. Harry knew how that felt, to die alone. Sure he had the specter of his family members hanging around him, unseen in the Forest of Death, but it wasn't the same. No one in that clearing had cared about Harry's wellbeing. He had been well and truly alone with the most evil man to ever be born. Harry just couldn't feel at ease with letting the poor man die alone.

But what could he do? There really wasn't anything, in truth. He had no pull in the group and no really solid reason to argue for. Every second they spent sitting still was a second they were in danger, a second they could be overrun. Logically, with Jim being a lost cause, the benefits of leaving far outweighed the risk of staying.

'What a terrible world this has become.' Harry thought, his godson's soft snores not enough to alleviate the depression Harry felt at the situation. The camper door opened then, admitting a crying Jacquie, looking both lost and hurt.

"Is everyone saying goodbye?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yeah…just about everyone." Jacquie responded, equally as quiet. Neither of them wanted to awake the sleeping child. Harry made a decision then, and he still had time to implement.

"Watch Teddy for a second would you?" He asked as he got up and grabbed one of the pain reliever potions.

"Sure…going to say goodbye?" She asked.

"Yeah."

Harry made is way out of the camper and up the hill passing Draco and Dale on the way. There were a few people left hanging around Jim. Rick and Shane were still present, both looking lost as to what to do.

"Do you want this?" Rick asked as he held out a pistol to Jim.

"No…you guys will need it. I'm fine." Jim said between short pants and gasps.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"It doesn't have to be like this man." Shane piped up in concern.

"Yes it does. Yes it does…" Jim whispered. His mind was made up. Slowing down the group could get them killed. Dying and turning in the van would be as equally as bad. No….this was the best solution. He would be with his family soon. In the meantime, he would get to be in the fresh air.

Rick and Shane moved away then, Glenn following shortly after. Daryl, crossbow in hand, started at the infected man for a long few seconds. Eventually, he headed off to, but not before he gave the man a respectful nod. Jim smiled in return.

Harry was alone with Jim then. Jim just watched the young man stand there. He didn't know why the situation was so awkward, all he was doing was dying.

"I'm sorry I didn't…didn't get to know you Harry." Jim rasped out.

"Same Jim." Harry quickly responded. The wizard crouched down then, coming to eyelevel with the dying man. Pulling the potion out of his pocket, he took the stopper out.

"Drink this Jim, it'll help."

"What…what is it?"

"Something for the pain." Harry responded, bringing the container to Jim's lips. He stared at the green eyed man for a second before parting his lips.

Harry carefully poured the potion in. Jim coughed on the last mouthful but was able to get most of it down.

"That tasted like socks Harry." Jim stated, making Harry smile

"Yeah…it tastes bad but it works, trust me."

"Thank you Harry."

"I was no problem, truly." Harry responded, gently gasping the man on the shoulder before standing up. Jim smiled up at him slightly as he felt the pain ebbing away.

"Goodbye Harry."

"I'll see you around Jim." Harry responded thickly. He turned and left as his memories played up once more. The night Severus died played in his mind over and over again as he walked back to the camper.

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Meanwhile, Dale had completed the repairs and closed the camper's hatch.

"This camper is fixed then? Why are we still here?" Draco asked with impatience.

"Because Draco, people are still saying their goodbyes to Jim. It's hard to just drive away like this." Dale responded, his voice soft.

"It shouldn't be taking this long!"

"Don't you have any empathy? Wouldn't you want to say goodbye to your friend if you knew he was going to die?" The older man asked with an incredulous look on his face. He knew the blond boy wasn't as bad as he was trying to make himself out to be. He saw how he interacted with Teddy on a daily basis.

Draco remained silent after Dale's question.

"Are you going to go out and see him?" Dale asked.

"No."

"You should, you will regret not doing so later." He implored.

"Unlikely old man."

"Everyone always does."

"Well I'm not everyone." Draco stated in reply.

"No…but I suspect you'll feel it all the same." Dale responded sadly as he looked into Draco's eyes.

"Whatever." The Malfoy heir said before looking away and ending the conversation. He hated how Dale always made him feel. The man was like a bloody really life conscience or something.

Draco spotted Potter then as he walked back down the hill.

"Were ready to go." Draco said as Harry got closer. Harry nodded in response before heading back inside the camper. Dale, Glenn, and Draco following soon after.

The convoy started rolling again. Jacquie had stayed with them in the camper, taking up post next to Teddy while gently rubbing his back. Everyone was silent, even Dale. Leaving Jim behind had affected them all, and not in a good way either. Harry had sat down and just…zoned out, his memories of the loses he suffered running around in his mind. Draco returned to his post inside the camper's bedroom, watching the two unconscious witches.

Almost an hour later, Harry was startled out of his memories by Draco's frantic calls.

"Andromeda? Andromeda? Can you hear me?" Harry stood up and moved to the back quickly. Draco was hunched over Andromeda shaking her shoulder gently.

"What happened Draco?"

"She moved." He responded distractedly. Harry felt his heart start beating faster. She had moved?

"Andromeda! Wake up! Come on, get up!" Draco called loudly into her face. Harry was about to admonish him for his actions when he heard the older woman moan.

"Andromeda! Can you hear me?" Draco tried again. Andromeda mumbled something unintelligible in response.

"Open your eyes Andromeda. Come on, you can do it." Draco coached. Slowly, almost painfully, Andromeda opened her eyes enough to squint.

"Dra…Drake?" she asked with a raspy, unused voice.

"Yes! It's Draco. Tell me how you feel." Draco exclaimed. Harry started ginning widely while Jacquie looked on with amazement. Andromeda was awake!

"Head hurts….throat's all…scratchy." She forced out.

"Potter! Get her some water!" Harry immediate went to the kitchen to get the liquid.

"Po…potter?" Andromeda asked confused.

"Shhh don't worry about that. "

"Wats going on Hawwee?" Teddy asked sleepily. He was having the bestest dream about floating waffles and a garden gnome. He was not happy D'agoon had woken him up!

"Teddy I have great news!" Harry said as he poured water into a glass.

"Wat?"

"Your granma is awake."

"She is!? Can I see her?" Teddy practically yelled.

"Not right now, she is very weak. Soon though. Now, I have to get back there. Stay in that seat mister!" Harry ordered before walking back into the bedroom.

"Here." He said, gaining Draco's attention. The blond quickly took the offered glass and held it gently to Andromeda's lips.

"There we go, easy now just take a sip." Draco ordered as he helped tilt her head forward. Andromeda got more water on her face and clothes than in her mouth, but it was enough. The pain of her raw throat abated slightly and she promptly fell back asleep.

"Andromeda, wake up…come on wak…" Draco tried to convince her again until Harry stepped in.

"Easy Draco. She was awake once, but she still needs rest. Let her sleep, it helps the body heal."

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard Potter! Sleep heals?" Draco scoffed.

"It's true. Just let her be. We will both keep an eye on them." Harry responded before taking up position on Hermione's side. Draco scowled but said nothing else.

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The convoy's journey ended abruptly nearly two hours later. Neither witch had reawaken but, after a subtly cast diagnostic charm while Harry distracted the muggles, both wizards were happy the two were improving. Heart rate and respiration were moving back to normal levels and the damage to their organs was nearly repaired. The immediate problem now was moving them. As they were still unconscious and weak, someone would have to carry the two women to the CDC's entrance.

T-Dog was requisitioned to aid them. Draco and T-Dog held Andromeda on a seat they made with their hands while Harry carried Hermione bridal style. Jacquie had picked Teddy up and had her gun out and ready.

The CDC was a massive building. The equally as large courtyard at its front, along with the crossing streets was littered with dead bodies, equipment, tanks, heavy munitions, and barricades. The smell was almost unbearable. Harry could tell a last stand when he saw one. His stomach churned with fear.

'How could anyone have survived this?'

The group moved as one across the expansive battlefield towards what appeared to be the entrance. Harry nearly panicked when he saw security shutter of some sort was covering the entrance completely. Rick and Shane hurried to the front and tried to lift it. They failed miserably. Glenn then joined the two and they tried once again, only to fail.

"There's no one here." T-Dog panted out. He was completely out of shape and, while not heavy, carrying Andromeda around was getting tiring.

"Then why are these shutters down?"

"Walkers!" Daryl called out, he raised crossbow up and aimed, firing a single bolt into a walker's head. Harry turned to see where he had spotted them only to feel fear grip his being. Dozens of walkers were heading their direction, far too many to fight.

"This was a bad move!" Daryl yelled.

"He made a call!" Shane yelled back as he assessed the situation.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yelled in return, making his way towards Rick. Shane ran over quickly and pushed the Southerner back.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Shane ordered before turning to look at his partner.

"Rick, this is a dead end. No blame Rick, no blame! But we have got to GO!" Shane yelled before firing on the closest walker. Everyone with guns opened up then, trying to thin the heard.

"We can't stay this close to the city!" Lori yelled as she held onto a crying Carl.

"We'll think of something!" Rick responded in desperation. Everything was spiraling out of his hands! Had he really lead his family to their death!?

"Fort Benning is still an option." Shane called out

"On what? Fumes and no food? We can't get there." Andrea replied.

"We have to get out of here you stupid muggles!" Draco yelled in a panic. There were hundreds of dead things coming to eat them and they stood around arguing? Harry glanced sharply over at him.

"We have got to go! Now!" Shane yelled out before taking out another walker. Rick stumbled backwards after them. He couldn't keep his eyes off the door. He had been so sure!

Harry started following the group. He turned back for a moment and stared at the closed off building before looking down at his friend in his arms. This was supposed to be a sanctuary. Rick had made this seem like a safe bet….now he was standing out in the open, cut off from the camper with his last remaining friend in his arms unconscious. Harry looked back up at the door that was supposed to be their safe harbor with a sneer.

His face quickly contorted to shock a moment later.

Wait…did that camera just move?

"The camera! It moved!" Rick called out, halting the group's frantic escape.

"You imagined it…" Dale said in disbelief.

"No…no…it moved." Rick replied, heading back toward the door. He started pounding on the shutter while looking into the camera.

"I know you're in there!" He yelled.

"Come on Rick! There's nobody here!" Lori yelled from behind.

"I know you can hear me!" Rick continued.

"Please! We're desperate! We have women and children! We don't have any food left, hardly any gas left and nowhere else to go!" Rick continued his rant.

"We have to go Rick!" Shane yelled again, grabbing Rick and pulling him to the group. Rick fought back, screaming like a mad man at the camera

"You're killing us! You're killing us!" He yelled over and over. Everyone else was yelling too. The cacophony of sound made it hard to tell what everyone was saying, but one thing was clear.

Everyone thought they were going to die. All the children, including Teddy were crying.

"Do something Potter!" Draco yelled. Harry knew instantly what he was asking. Out of the two of them, he had to have been the one who had the easiest chance of accessing his wand. He didn't know what he could do though. Would an alohomora work on a security shutter? Harry had begun shifting Hermione in his arms so he could put her down and get to his wand when it happened.

The grinding sound caused the entire group to stop yelling. As one, they all turned to the brightly lit, now completely open doorway. Harry spent all of one second in shock before reacting.

"Come on! " He bellowed at Jacquie and Teddy. Everyone reacted then and they all raced into the lighted building.

Posted 12/2/2014

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A/N

Teddy is here! Draco is alive! Hermione and Andromeda!? Are they on the mend? What will happen next? Will they be allowed entrance?

But holy crap! 17k words or more! My biggest chapter yet! Sorry for not getting it out on Monday. I had a lot of things I had to do the past week so my writing time took a hit. Thanksgiving and all that. But we didn't have to spend it in the hospital this year so yeah! Something important to be thankful for!

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving (Americans) was good and they all had a lot of tasty things to eat.

The Walking Dead episode that corresponds with this chapter is Wildfire. I had a lot of trouble writing it and I have no idea why. A beta said to me that, while this chapter was a little slower than the rest that it was still good and didn't bog down anywhere. I think that maybe the issue I was having was I tried to explain too much, maybe go into too much detail. It felt like I was on one scene or another for an inordinate amount of time.

I do hope everyone likes this chapter and its emotions. Harry was so happy he found Teddy, and he had been right in front of him too! Crazy.

As always, questions, concerns, or comments are more than welcome. Questions are easier to answer in PMs but you can leave them in your reviews as well!

And don't forget, I am on Kik messenger so you can ask me questions there too!. I go under the handle artariouss and yes, there are two Ss.

Anyway, tell me what you all think! And if you have any complaints….address them to the singer of Call Me Maybe. I had it blaring on loop for most of this chapter….I am not sure if I have to give my man card up to be burned now or not….

Also, I would like to give another shout out to the ever wonderful rocknrollprincess131 and girl-at-home13 ! Thanks you guys for your help on this chapter. I appreciate it.

And thanks also to chocolatecheesecakes for continuing to make sure Harry doesn't turn into a boorish American :P

Shout out also to AnarchicMuse!

Shout out to reviewers: Thanks a bunch guys!

lOoWardyoOl

girl-at-home13 x5

Angel4EverLostInLife

Afrodity

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