Chapter Text
Harry frowned as he watched the large military truck rumble past the prison for the fifth time in less than an hour. And that was just today. Abraham had been searching for them for over a week. Sighing, he turned and let out a small gasp of surprise when he found Daryl standing right behind him, so close that their noses were almost touching.
“No!” Daryl growled, his arms crossed over his chest.
Harry smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You were thinking so loud that I could hear you from our cell. No!”
“Daryl, they weren’t that…”
“No!” Daryl interrupted again. “No! No! And in case you missed it… No!”
“They saved me and your unborn son or daughter,” Harry argued.
“And yet it’s still a no,” Daryl said flatly. “If we keep taking in strays we will never get out of here. Don’t you want to return to your world?”
“More than anything,” Harry said honestly, “but I want to return with a clean conscience.”
“They’re not your responsibility, brat.”
“I know, but what if they were put in our path for a reason? What if they’re part of our survival story.”
Daryl’s face scrunched up. “Our what? What the hell are you talking about, brat?”
Harry blushed. “Our survival story. You know, what happened to us, what we did, where we went, the people we met and who became family. Our survival story.”
Daryl closed his eyes then shook his head. “I love you, Harry, but I don’t think mullet man and the loud ginger are part of our survival story. The people who are here now and those who are waiting for us in your world are part of our survival story.”
Harry sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. They really didn’t seem like bad people though.”
“They tried kidnapping you and forcing you to Washington knowing that you had a family. That doesn’t sound like good people to me.”
“There is that, but I think he was just desperate. Enough about them, did you need me for something?”
Daryl let his eyes slowly rake over his mate’s body. “I can think of a few somethings I could use you for, but that will have to wait until tonight. Sirius and I are heading out to do some investigating. I heard some shots being fired earlier and we want to make sure that it’s no one we have to worry about.”
Harry frowned. “No one can see us here, we’re safe.”
“We still need to know what’s going on out there.”
“I guess,” Harry said softly as he walked into his mate’s arm. “Be careful out there. You may be a werewolf, but a bullet can still kill you.”
“I’ve survived this long haven't I? Besides, I’m not going to leave you to raise our little one by yourself. That’s why I have to go out and see what’s going on.” Daryl’s head snapped up when he heard more shots off in the distance.
Tensing, Harry quickly gave his mate a kiss, knowing that there would be no stopping him now. “I love you.”
“Love you too, brat,” Daryl said as he motioned with his head for Sirius to hurry up.
Breaking away from his mate, Harry gave Sirius a quick hug. “Send a patronus if you need help.”
“Who is the father here?” Sirius asked with fond exasperation. “This isn’t my first time heading out, pup.”
Remus joined them, tossing an arm over Harry. “Don’t pick on him, he’s pregnant and hormonal.”
Harry laid his head on Remus’ shoulder. “Yeah, don’t pick on me, you big meanies.”
Daryl had just straddled his motorcycle when he heard four more shots. “Let’s go!” He hollered.
“Don’t do anything stupid!” Remus yelled after his mate.
Harry sighed heavily. “I can’t wait until we are all safely in the wizarding world.”
“Me too, pup. Me too.” Remus said with worry in his voice
***HP
Daryl crept around the building, a gun in his hand and his crossbow on his back. Spotting the now recognizable military truck, he cursed internally. “What the hell are they doing here?” He whispered.
Sirius stepped besides Daryl. “Do you think they fired shots to draw us out?”
Before Daryl could answer, a man ran out from the building to the truck where he grabbed a backpack from it then ran back in. The entire front of the man was covered in bright red blood.
“That wasn’t big red or the mullet,” Daryl pointed out, never having seen the man before.
“He looked to be part of your military, at least judging by the clothes he was wearing.” Sirius said thoughtfully.
Daryl shrugged. “Can’t tell nowadays, can you? You wear whatever you can find.”
A female’s loud scream had both Daryl and Sirius tensing. Gripping his wand tighter in his hand, Sirius nodded to Daryl, silently agreeing with him that they needed to investigate. They didn’t want anymore people joining their group, but they also couldn’t stand by while there was a woman in need of help.
Daryl was the first to enter the building so silently that the people in the building didn’t hear them. He had expected to find a woman being attacked, but instead he found three men, mullet, big red, and possible army guy, on their knees frantically working on a woman that had blood pouring from her leg. A quick scan of the room showed four men with guns dead on the ground with multiple gun shot wounds.
“He hit the artery,” the possible army guy said as he dumped the contents of his bag out on the floor, his hands coated in blood. “She’s going to bleed out.”
“You’re a surgeon!” Abraham bellowed. “Save her!”
“I am a surgeon, but this isn’t a hospital and I don’t have the proper equipment.” Army man cried as he tightly tied a band around the woman’s leg above the gun shot wound.
“Abraham,” the woman whimpered, clutching the man’s hand in a death grip.
When Abraham turned to look at the woman’s face, he spotted Daryl and Sirius. “It’s you!” He growled lunging to his feet. “Where the hell have you been hiding? The boy said you were staying at a prison, but the damn prison has disappeared.”
Daryl ignored the man’s questions. “What happened here?”
“We were ambushed,” Eugene said, his eyes filled with pain as he stared down at the woman. “Rosita knocked me out of the way and took a bullet for me. She saved my life.”
“Damn straight I did,” Rosita bit out between painfully clenched teeth. “You wouldn’t have survived being hit, but I will.”
The maybe army man looked to Daryl and Sirius and sadly shook his head no. “I don’t have the proper equipment to operate on her. Hell, I can’t even knock her out to do it.”
“She’s going to need blood. A lot of blood,” Eugene said in a monotone voice as he held his blood soaked hands out in front of him.
“I told you to stay in the f*cking truck!” Abraham roared at Eugene. “Why the hell didn’t you listen to me? If Rosita dies, it’s your fault.”
Eugene cringed, but he didn’t say anything, just hung his head, his body trembling.
“Did I hear correctly, are you a surgeon?” Sirius asked of the third man.
“Bob,” the other man introduced, “and sorta. I was a medic in the army for four years, but was a few months into my surgical rotation at the local hospital when everything went to sh*t.”
“Ever perform a C-section?” Sirius asked.
“Who the f*ck cares!” Abraham yelled. “Rosita is bleeding out and you all want to have a jolly f*cking meet and greet.”
“Only twice,” Bob answered. “And I more assisted on both of those occasions.”
Sirius looked to Daryl and he could see that his pup’s mate was thinking the same thing. Daryl looked like he’d rather throw up, but he reluctantly nodded his head. Bob may not be the best candidate to deliver Harry’s baby, but right now he was the only one they had.
Sirius sighed loudly. “We can help, but we have to get back to the prison.” Reaching in his pocket he pulled out a pain potion, a blood replenisher, and a calming draught. “Here, have her drink these.”
Bob cautiously took the vials. “What are these?”
“Just something that will keep her alive until we can get to someone who can hopefully help her.” He wasn’t sure Remus could save her, but they had more potions back at the prison and Remus was better at healing spells than him.
Abraham looked like he wanted to snatch the vials out of Bob’s hand, but before he could do it, Rosita reached up with a trembling hand and took them, downing them before anyone could stop her.
“I trust them,” Rosita said shakily as she scrunched her face up in disgust. “I don’t know why, but I do.”
Abraham inclined his head. “Help me get her to the truck,” he ordered Bob. “Eugene, you’re driving.”
Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose as they rushed past him. “Rick is going to freak when we show up with four more people, but what choice do we have?”
“f*cking survival story!” Daryl snarled angrily as he turned to leave.
“Survival what?” Sirius asked in bewilderment, following Daryl.
“Ask your damn son. Merle was right, Harry is turning me into a f*cking puss*. Survival story my ass!”
Even though he had no idea what the hell Daryl was talking about, Sirius threw his head back and started laughing. If it involved Harry, then he knew that it had to be something crazy.
***HP
Remus took a seat on the picnic table beside his pup, his forehead creased with worry. “What’s going on with you? Earlier I blamed your mood on hormones, but I have a feeling that it’s something more.”
Even though it wasn’t cold, Harry gave a shiver. “I don’t know, I just have this weird feeling that something is going to happen.”
Remus clenched his jaw making the scars on his face pop out even more. “Something bad?” He asked in concern.
Harry tilted his head back as he thought. “I don’t think so, I just feel like something is going to change.”
Remus blew out a loud breath. “Now I’m worried. Maybe I should ride out and check on Sirius and Daryl?”
Harry chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully. He was worried about his dad and mate, but he really didn’t want his other dad to leave, too. He didn’t understand what he was feeling, he just had this weird nagging feeling that something was going to happen.
“Not yet,” Harry said softly as he rested his head on Remus’ shoulder. “Let’s wait about thirty minutes before sending out a rescue party. I’m sure Merle would love an excuse to get out. You know how prickly he gets if we don’t take him for a walk every three to four days.”
Remus snorted. “When I first met him I wanted to kill him, but he’s pack now and I have come to care for him.”
“He’s not so bad once you learn how to navigate his land mines.” Harry chuckled.
“Have you thought of a name for his wolf yet?”
“Asshole!” Harry snickered.
Remus laughed. “Fitting, but I’m sure you can come up with something better.”
Harry made a humming sound. “I better get thinking, the full moon is coming up.”
“That’s not all that’s coming,” Remus said getting to his feet. “Rick!” He bellowed. “We have incoming!”
Harry quickly got to his feet when he spotted his dad and Daryl coming in hot with Abraham’s truck close behind them. “Somethings wrong.”
Rick came tearing out of prison with most everyone else following him. “What the hell is going? Why are they bringing them back?”
“f*ck!” Merle snarled.
Stopping at the gate, Sirius used his wand to magically enhance his voice. “Rem, drop the wards. We have a woman hit and bleeding out.”
Remus quickly flicked his wand dropping the wards and opening the gate. “Maggie, get a bed ready. Carol, can you please get supplies and potions.”
Nodding their heads, both women turned and ran back to the prison. “What can I do?” Harry asked anxiously.
“Nothing, pup,” Remus said as he watched the group pull up to the prison.
“I don’t like this,” Rick complained as he made his way to the army truck.
Merle flashed his brother a dirty look. “You’re not the only one, Officer Smiley. They tried to kidnap my little brother, they’re lucky that I let them walk away last time.”
“My dad said a woman is bleeding out, it’s probably Rosita,” Harry pointed out. “I know they pretty much kidnapped me, but they also saved my life. If it hadn’t been for them, there’s no way I would have survived that hoard. We have to help her.”
“f*ck!” Merle growled. “Why can’t you be a selfish, uncaring bastard like me?”
“Because this prison isn’t big enough for two Merles. Besides, you love me just the way I am, all squishy and sweet.”
Merle shook his head. “I don’t know how my brother puts up with you.”
“It’s the sex. I’m f*cking amazing,” Harry giggled.
“Merlin, Harry, not in front of your father,” Remus complained. “Come on, let’s see what’s going on.”
***HP
Harry hovered outside the cell as Remus and the new guy, Bob worked on Rosita. Rosita looked bad, like death bad. She was so pale that her skin looked almost translucent and her veins were standing out brightly. “Is she going to be okay?” He asked his dad.
“Don’t know, pup,” Sirius answered. “She has lost a lot of blood and we don’t exactly have the proper supplies to save her. The army guy seems pretty knowledgeable, though.”
“He’s why you brought them here, isn’t he? You brought him here for me.”
Sirius sighed. “Pup, this baby is a miracle, but I’m so scared for you that I can barely sleep at night. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. What if something happens and we never hear from the wizarding world again? We can’t rely on having Severus or Poppy to help us. Bob may not be whatever the muggles call a baby delivering healer, but he is a surgeon who has assisted a few c-section procedures. Right now he is our only hope.”
“I’m sorry,” Harry said, feeling bad that he was causing his dad so much stress. “If I had known that this baby was possible, we would have taken precautions.”
“I would have too. Don’t feel bad, never in a million years would I have thought that this was possible with a muggle. I would have taught you the contraception spell and urged you to use it every time on the both of you.”
“What the hell are you people?” Abraham demanded as he stormed up to Sirius. “You’re not normal.”
Snarling, Daryl grabbed Abraham and slammed him against the wall. “You watch how you talk to my mate.” He knew about Harry’s past and his vile relatives and how they treated him because he wasn’t “normal” and like hell was he going to let this ginger asshole hurt his feelings in their own territory, especially seeing as they were helping them, not the other way around. They could have let the woman bleed out.
Harry placed a gentle hand on Daryl’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright, he didn’t hurt me.”
Daryl reluctantly released the ginger. “He’ll be signing his own death certificate if he does.”
Rubbing at his chest, Abraham cleared his throat. “You’re a hell of a lot stronger than what you look.”
Daryl smirked. “You have no idea.”
“Look, I don’t know what in the hell of saggy sugar sacks is going on here, but I'm adding two and two together and getting what-the-f*ck? How did you all fix my tire and what strange sh*t did you give Rosita? She should have bled out in minutes and yet she’s still alive and fighting.”
“Nothing that concerns you and as soon as she’s patched up the three of you will be leaving,” Daryl grunted.
“There’s four of us,” Abraham pointed out.
“He can stay,” Daryl said pointing to Bob who was still working on Rosita.
“Daryl, don’t be mean,” Harry scolded. “Let’s just play it by ear for now. Rosita is in critical condition, it will be a while before she can be moved.”
“Dammit, Harry,” Daryl cursed in frustration, “we can’t keep taking in strays, especially liars and kidnappers.”
“Survival story,” Harry reminded sweetly. “Besides, he saved my life.”
“Only because he wanted you to fight for him.”
Harry took a second to really look at the ginger and, despite how big and intimidating looking he was, his eyes seemed kind and gentle. His eyes were haunted looking, like he had seen too much and was exhausted, but he had lost his wife and kids and he couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a child. “I think he would have saved me anyway. He’s a good guy.”
Abraham raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think that?”
Harry shrugged his shoulders. “You were willing to kidnap me under the false pretense that you were saving the world. You also could have left Lizzie behind, she wasn’t your responsibility and she would have been another mouth to feed that probably would have slowed you down, but you didn’t leave her.”
Abraham snorted. “I still want to know what’s going on. Why couldn’t I find this prison? I drove this road more than a dozen times, this prison would have been impossible to miss.”
“Not if it was being hidden by magic,” Sirius answered. “And just because my son thinks you’re good, doesn’t mean the rest of us feel the same way.”
Abraham started laughing. “Magic? I may have been gullible enough to fall for Eugene’s bullsh*t, but I’m not falling for that.”
A terrifying grin spread across Sirius’ face. Pulling his wand out, he cast a silent levicorpus on the ginger, lifting him up until his head hit the ceiling. When the man started bellowing, both him and Daryl busted out laughing.
Harry shook his head in disapproval. “You guys are mean. Dad, put him back down.”
“What in the holy hell!” Abraham raged after his feet landed on the ground. Snarling, he advanced on Sirius with his shoulders back and chest puffed out.
“I would think twice if I were you,” Daryl warned. “Not only are you outnumbered and outgunned, but he could kill you with two words without even having to lay a finger on you.”
“He’s not lying,” Harry added. “Please don’t do anything stupid. You’re safe here, safer than anywhere else at the moment, but we are fiercely protective of each other.”
Still glaring at Sirius, Abraham reluctantly backed down. “I’m listening.”
Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Harry’s shoulders relaxed. Turning to his dad, he grinned, “You can explain everything to Abraham, I’m going to check on Lizzie.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Jeez, thanks, pup. He’s your survival story, shouldn’t you be the one to explain everything to him?”
Harry turned to glare at his mate. “You told him about our survival story?”
Daryl shrugged. “Didn’t know it was a secret, brat.”
“It wasn’t, I guess, but now it feels like you’re making fun of me.” Turning, Harry quickly left the room.
“Looks like Daryllina won’t be getting any ass tonight,” Merle guffawed loudly.
“f*ck you, Merle,” Daryl spat. “Should I chase after him?” He asked Sirius.
“Give him some time. I don’t think he’s truly mad or hurt, I just think he has a lot on his mind and his hormones are reeking havoc on him. It’s not helping that he’s terrified for Lizzie and checks on her every thirty minutes, even during the night. I pray we hear from Dumbledore soon. He’s not going to rest until she’s safely in the wizarding world.”
***HP
Harry was sitting on a picnic table watching Lizzie and Mika play when someone sat next to him. Taking his eyes off the girls, he turned to see Eugene unabashedly staring at him. He wasn’t one to judge people, but the man really was odd. Luckily he had managed to dodge the newcomers since his father revealed the truth about magic to them the day before, but it looked as though his luck has finally ran out.
“I saw a man turn into a dog,” Eugene said simply.
Harry chuckled. “My dad’s favorite party trick. Did he bite you?”
“You don’t understand, I saw a man turn into a dog.”
“Yes, I heard you the first time. I had a teacher that could turn into a cat and my biological dad could turn into a stag. If you’re still here on the full moon, you’ll see something that will really blow your mind.”
“What can you turn into?”
Harry pointed to himself. “Me? Nothing, sadly, but I plan to learn someday. I’m hoping to be something really badass like a lion or tiger. Knowing my luck, though, I’ll be a llama or emu.”
“People can’t turn into animals. It’s impossible.”
Shaking his head, Harry pointed to the dead that were crowded against the fence. “That should be impossible too, yet there they are. I get it though, I didn’t learn about the wizarding world until I was eleven. My mind was completely blown.”
“If magic is real and you’re a wizard, why didn’t you use magic to save yourself from that hoard?”
“I’m kind of in a magic using timeout for the next couple of months.”
Eugene narrowed his eyes. “I do not understand.”
Harry shrugged. “That’s okay, you don’t have to. Let’s just say I have a medical condition preventing me from using my magic.”
“I just can’t wrap my head around it. I’m not a brave person or physically inclined like Abraham, I’m not good with people and my social skills are lacking to say the least, but I am intelligent, extremely so. I have always excelled at science and technology, but now I’m questioning everything I ever thought or knew. I saw a man turn into a dog.”
Harry laughed. “Try not to think too hard on it, Eugene. Magic exists, it always has, we have just been really good at hiding it. We have our own government, schools, hospitals, banks, you name it, we have it.”
“In every country?” Eugene asked in awe.
“Yup, as far as I know. I actually have some school books if you’d like to look at them. I confess I haven’t so much as opened them since my friend sent them, but you’re more than welcome to them.”
Eugene’s face lit up. “I would like that. Do you think there is anything about these wards your father said are keeping us safe? I find them fascinating and would like to learn more.”
Sliding off the table, Harry motioned for the girls to come. “I’m not sure, but I will get those books for you after I see the girls settled with Carol.”
Eugene inclined his head in thanks. “I am sorry about trying to force you to Washington. I am not a bad person, just scared and unequipped for this new world. I am not the type of person that someone would offer help to, not unless there was something in it for them. People don’t particularly like me.”
Harry felt bad now for thinking the man was odd, but he really was odd. “Abraham and Rosita must like you, if they didn’t then they would have dumped you on the side of the road, especially after lying to them. I don’t know you, but you see like a good guy, just maybe stay away from Merle, insulting people is an Olympic sport to him.”
“Yes, I have had a few unfortunate run ins with him. I do not think he likes me.”
“Merle likes maybe three people and one of them is himself,” Harry chuckled. “I’d say ignore him, but he’s loud and obnoxious making him impossible to ignore. You’re better off walking away. If you try talking back to him he may hit you and, take it from someone with first hand experience, his punches hurt like a bitch.”
Eugene’s eyes widened. “He has punched you?”
“Knocked me out cold,” Harry admitted, “but that was a long time ago and now we are family. His brother, Daryl is my mate.”
“Mate?”
“A mate is like a boyfriend or girlfriend, but the bond is deeper. Think of it like a true soul mate.”
Lizzie came running up to Harry grinning. “Harry, can we have cupcakes after school please?”
“I think there’s some left. If not, then I know there’s cake for sure.”
“Cupcakes? Cake?” Eugene asked in wonder. “How? Where?”
Harry smirked. “Meet us back here in two hours and I’ll show you.”
“It’s magic,” Mika giggled.
***HP
Rick was pacing back and forth in agitation. “We can’t take them in. The doctor I understand, but the other three have to go as soon as the woman is healed. If we keep bringing people in we will never get out of here.”
“Cant believe that I’m agreeing with Officer Smiley,” Merle said with a disgusted shake of his head.
“It’s just three more people,” Harry argued sheepishly. “They’re not that bad.”
“Not that bad my ass!” Merle scoffed. “The ginger is vulgar and obnoxious and don’t even get me started on the mullet. I’m pretty sure his mama dropped him on his head as an infant.”
Harry tried his best not to laugh, but it was hard. “Eugene isn’t that bad and he’s really smart. He built a hand pump for the well and he’s almost got the generator working. He also mentioned something about knowing how to make bullets. I think he’s an asset to have around.”
Remus nodded his head in agreement. “I admit that Eugene is different, but I like him. It would be a shame to lose someone as intelligent as him. Abraham and Rosita will make it out there, they’re fighters, Eugene isn’t.”
Groaning, Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. “We are already looking at a minimum of another year here, and that’s without adding four more people to the group.”
“It’s my fault that we’re stuck here for longer, not theirs,” Harry said, his face turning red with embarrassment. “Rick, I understand how desperately you want to be reunited with Carl, I miss him too, but I can’t in good consciousness kick them out knowing what’s out there.”
Reaching out, Daryl hooked his arm around Harry’s waist and pulled him onto his lap. “It ain’t your fault, brat. You didn’t put that pup in your belly all by yourself so don’t go taking the all blame. No one has any right to be complaining about our situation here, we have it better than anyone else out there.”
Rick’s eyes softened as he looked to Harry. “I wasn’t blaming you for the delay and we are extremely grateful for you and your dads. I just…”
“He just doesn’t like new people,” Merle finished for Rick. “Princess, he didn’t want your pretty ass here either. If it wasn’t for ole Merle he would have sent you and your daddies packing.”
“That’s not it, at least not entirely. Bringing strangers in is dangerous. We have lost good people, including my wife, because we put our trust strangers. The people here now are family and I trust you all with my life.”
“He has a point, pup,” Sirius said grimly. “It’s too dangerous to keep bringing people in. I don’t think Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita are bad people, but we have to draw the line at them. There are a lot of bad people out there, people who would love to get there hands on little girls like Lizzie and Mika. We need to start being selfish and putting ourselves first.”
Harry slumped back against Daryl, soaking in the safety that his mate offered. “I understand, and you’re right. No more new people and, if Abraham and his group trigger any warning bells in anyone, we will kick them out. I don’t think they will be a problem though.”
Rick reluctantly agreed. “I’ll agree to a probation until the woman is up and about.”
“f*cking puss*es,” Merle grumbled.
“Shut the f*ck up,” Daryl bit back making Harry giggle.
***HP
Yawning, Harry tiredly shuffled his feet as he slowly made his way down the hall to check on Lizzie…again. He knew that she was safely tucked away in bed and that Remus had warded her and Mika’s cell, but his mind wouldn’t settle to allow him to sleep, not until he saw with his own eyes that Lizzie was in her bed and not out socializing with her friends, the walkers. He loved Lizzie, but worrying about her is going to be the death of him.
“Take your delicate ass back to bed before I drag you back and tie you to it.”
Blinking rapidly, because his vision was fuzzy from exhaustion, Harry looked around the dark hall until his eyes fell on Merle sitting on the floor across the hall from Lizzie and Mika’s cell. “Merle, what are you doing out here?”
“Picking f*cking daisies!” Merle said sarcastically. “What the hell does it look like I’m doing, Princess? I’m sitting here on this hard ass floor waiting for you so I can send your little backside back to bed. The girls are fine, but you’re not. You looked like a damn drunk stumbling down the hall unable to walk a straight f*cking line because you’re beyond exhausted. You need to stop obsessing over that little crazy one. Everyone here is keeping an eye on her, you don’t have to do it all yourself.”
Unable to help himself, Harry peeked into the cell, his shoulders relaxing when he spotted both girls sound asleep. Hearing Merle cursing under his breath, he turned back to him. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I know everyone is watching her, but my mind wasn’t allowing me to sleep. Images of her escaping and getting torn apart kept flashing before my eyes every time I tried to close them.”
“You need sleep, I can smell the stink of exhaustion on you from here. The full moon is close and it’s reeking havoc on my senses. So do me a favor and get some f*cking sleep.”
“You’re such a pleasant person, Merle.”
“Da f*ck do I care about being pleasant. I ain’t got the time nor the desire to puss*foot around. You’re exhausted and carrying the next generation of Dixon, get some f*cking sleep before you make yourself and that little one sick.”
“You’re right,” Harry conceded with a yawn.
Merely smirked. “Always am.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure you weren’t right when you said Daryl wasn’t gay and that I wasn’t good for him.”
“Dixon’s aren’t gay,” Merle huffed.
“Right,” Harry giggled, “tell that to my backside.”
“You know, Princess, you can be pretty crude yourself when you want to be.”
Harry threw his head back laughing. “I learned from the best, Merle. Your name is in the dictionary under crude.”
“Proud of it, now get your ass to bed before I wake my brother and he takes your ass for another ride around the cellblock.”
“Crude!” Harry said as he started to turn leave. “Aren’t you going to bed?” He asked when he saw that Merle wasn’t getting up.
“Nope! I’m staying right here to tan your ass when you sneak back in an hour.”
Harry’s mouth dropped open in shock. “What! I…I’m not going to sneak back down.”
Merle just glared at Harry. “Fine! I promise that I won’t check on her again tonight.”
“That means not until after sunrise. I know you, Princess, you’ll sneak back after midnight saying it’s a new day.”
Harry’s face turned red knowing that he had been caught. He had planned on waiting until after midnight to check on Lizzie. “You know, you’re smarter than you look.”
“I’m an asshole, not stupid, Princess. To bed!” Merle snapped.
Smiling, Harry blew Merle a kiss. “Love you, too,” he called over his shoulder as he finally turned to leave.
***HP
Harry was cuddling some adorable piglets when he heard a familiar hoot from an owl. Looking up, he spotted Hedwig soaring above him, her amber eyes locked on him. Crying with excitement, he jumped to his feet then scaled the pen. Holding his arm out, he called for his beautiful owl. As excited as he was to hear from his friends and to see what they sent, he was more thrilled just to see Hedwig. He missed seeing his beautiful owl everyday. She had been there for him through a lot of rough times with the Dursleys and at Hogwarts. Hedwig was his first ever friend.
“Hey, beautiful girl,” Harry crooned softly after Hedwig gently landed on his arm. When she reached out with her beak and started grooming his hair, his eyes welled up with tears. “I missed you, Hedwig. I’m so glad you’re safe and healthy.”
“Harry, is everything right?” Maggie asked softly. “I was in the tower when I spotted your owl.”
Sniffling, Harry quickly wiped his eyes. “Everything is fine, I’m just feeling a bit homesick I guess.”
Maggie smiled softly. “Don’t be embarrassed, I get homesick all the time too. I miss the farm, my dad, my sister…the way life use to be. There’s nothing wrong with a good healthy cry every now and then, even for men.”
“Thanks,” Harry smiled. Spotting the small package tied to Hedwig’s foot, he gently untied it. “Looks like more goodies from my friends.”
“Hopefully there’s another one of those magic key traveling thingies so we can get Lizzie out of here. I caught her earlier sneaking out with a dead rat to feed her friends.”
Harry paled at hearing that. He had hoped that Lizzie had learned her lesson, but over the past couple days there had been some warning bells proving that Lizzie was more disturbed than what they thought. Daryl had brought back baby dolls for each girl yesterday and Lizzie had taken a knife to hers and cut it up to look like a walker. If that wasn’t terrifying enough, she then started loving on it and carrying it around as if it were a real baby. Eugene had been so freaked out that he had refused to be in the same room with her. Not that he could blame him. It had given him chills watching her.
“Let’s get inside and we will open the box after I feed and water Hedwig. I’m confident that Headmaster Dumbledore has sent a portkey, I’m just hoping it’s for three people so Mika can go too. I don’t think being separated from her sister will help Lizzie’s fragile mind.”
“Will your friends from your world be able to help her?”
“I hope so. I admit, I don’t know much about the branch of magic that deals with the mind, but my headmaster and potions Professor are highly skilled in that area. There’s even healers in my world that specialize in mind healing. Lizzie will get all the help she needs there. I’m sure my friend’s mom, Molly Weasley will see to it.”
“I’ll also write a letter to my dad explaining everything to him. He’ll help keep an eye on Lizzie.”
“I miss your dad. I didn’t know him long, but he was so kind to me.”
“Yeah, my dad is great. Don’t get me wrong, we had our moments, we’re both stubborn to a fault, but he’s the best dad.”
“Maggie, you can take the next portkey, everyone will understand.” Harry offered, feeling bad for Maggie.
“And miss my little niece or nephew being born. I don’t think so, Harry. I’m not going anywhere, not until we all can leave at the same time.”
Harry’s eyes started to fill with tears again. “Im so happy to be here with such amazing people. We’re more than just a group of people forced to rely on each other for survival, we are family. My baby is lucky to have you as an aunt.”
“Now I’m crying,” Maggie laughed as she too started crying. Stepping closer to Harry, she pulled him into a hug. “I’m going to spoil baby Potter/Dixon rotten.”
“Baby!” Carol gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers.
Breaking apart, Harry and Maggie looked to each other then started laughing. He had originally been afraid to tell the group about the baby, but now he was confident that he will find nothing but love and support from the family he has made himself here. Sure they’ll be shocked, after all, men getting pregnant is unheard of in the muggle world, but if Merle can handle finding out about the baby, then it shouldn’t be a problem for everyone else. Merle was a racist asshole and proud of it, yet finding out that he was pregnant barely phased him. He was actually thrilled…after the shock had worn off.
***HP
Remus held the portkey up for everyone to see. It was a Gryffindor tie, not shocking seeing as it was Dumbledore who created the portkey. “The portkey can take three people so after I recover from the full moon, I’ll take Lizzie and Mika to the wizarding world. So Rick, Maggie, if you’d like to write letters to your family I’ll deliver them for you.”
“Speaking of letters,” Harry said with a big smile on his face. “I have a letter for Rick from Carl, and Maggie I have one from your dad and sister.”
Rick took his letter and stuffed it in his back pocket, but Maggie rushed back to her seat and ripped it open then silently read it with a big smile on her face. “Beth is engaged to your friend, Harry!” She cried in shock. “I can’t believe it.”
Harry already knew about the engagement, Hermione had told him in her letter to him. He was thrilled for Charlie and Beth, they were perfect for each other. “Charlie will treat her like a princess, he’s a great guy.”
A tear escaped Maggie’s eye. “They’re going to wait until I get there to be married.”
A wave of guilt washed over Harry. If he wasn’t pregnant, he could be making portkeys for everyone so they could get to safety and Rick and Maggie could be reunited with their families. He felt like he was letting everyone down.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Daryl grumbled in his ear, “and you better get that thought right out of your head. You’re not responsible for everyone and no one here expects you to be.”
Harry didn’t believe Daryl, but he gave him a weak smile anyway. “Beth is marrying into an amazing family. Charlie’s parents took me in and treated me like a seventh son.”
“Seventh!” Glenn cried, choking on a brownie that Molly Weasley had sent.
“Six boys and one girl,” Harry chuckled, “and they’re all gingers.”
“I’m so happy for her,” Maggie sniffed. “I can’t wait to meet Charlie and the rest of his family.”
“Im not going to lie, I had a crush on Charlie when I was eleven,” Harry admitted, giggling when Daryl started growling. “Not only is he insanely good looking and built like tank, but he’s also a dragon handler. You can’t get any cooler than a dragon handler.”
“Can a dragon handler turn into a dragon?” Daryl scowled.
“No, he just takes care of them.”
“Then a werewolf is much cooler,” Daryl said proudly.
Sirius threw his head back laughing. “He’s got you there, pup. Charlie shovels dragon sh*t while your mate can turn into a badass, walker slaying wolf.”
Leaning forward, Harry placed a kiss on Daryl’s cheek. “I never said that he was cooler than you. Besides, I was eleven and just discovered that dragons were real. My crush was more because of the dragons than Charlie.”
“Dragons are truly real?” Eugene asked in awe.
Harry nodded. “Dragons, trolls, unicorns, mermaids…pretty much every mythical or fairy tail creature that you have read about are real.”
Wide eyed, Eugene slumped back in his chair as he stared at nothing. “Don’t worry, you’ll get use to it,” Glenn said, offering Eugene a brownie. “It’s easier if you just start thinking that everything is real, that way when you learn something new, like the existence of dragons, it won’t be so shocking.”
Tyreese nodded his head in agreement. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all and I have watched those four turn into giant wolves,” he said, pointing to Sirius, Remus, Daryl, and Merle. “But I’m grateful to them, especially Harry.”
Harry blushed. “Thanks, but I have done nothing special.”
“You made us family, Harry,” Sasha said warmly. “You talked Rick into letting us in and you made us family.”
Wanting the attention off of him, Harry looked to Bob. “How is Rosita doing?”
“Rosita is going to be alright, though it’s a miracle that she survived. I admit, I’m feeling just as overwhelmed as Eugene with the knowledge that magic exists, but if it hadn’t been for magic and potions, Rosita would have died before we got her back to the prison.”
“Magic and potions can only do so much, it was your skill as a surgeon that saved her, we were just able to stabilize until you could do your magic,” Remus praised. “Now, is there anything else we need to discuss before we end the meeting and devour the pizzas that was kindly sent to us?”
“I have something to discuss,” Harry said timidly.
Daryl wrapped an arm around Harry. “You don’t have to, brat, not if you’re not ready.”
Harry smiled shakily up at his mate. “No, I have to. Like Sasha said, we are family now and it’s not right keeping something this important from them.”
“Harry?” Michonne asked unsurely.
“Does this have anything to do with why you have been acting off lately?” Michonne asked in concern.
Harry blew out a loud breath. “It does. Rick, Merle, Maggie, and Carol already know so it’s only fair that the rest of you know. I just ask that you keep an open mind and remember that magic can do many wonderful things, things that are impossible in the normal, nonmagical world.”
“Like a full grown man turning into a dog.”
Harry nodded to Eugene. “Exactly. See, not only does magic allow a witch or wizard to turn into an animal, but it can also, in very rare circ*mstances, allow a wizard to conceive with their mate.”
Glenn looked to Maggie in confusion. “Conceive what?”
“I think he means baby,” Michonne answered for Maggie though her eyes were on Harry. “Are you pregnant?”
“Of course not?” Abraham boomed loudly. “The kid doesn’t have the proper plumbing. There’s no such thing as an ass baby.”
Merle pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against. “Keep disrespecting my baby brother and my little niece or nephew and I’ll give you an ass baby,” he threatened.
Harry was shocked, but also thrilled, at Merle calling him his baby brother again. Hearing him call him his baby brother made him feel warm and fuzzy. “It’s alright, Merle, Abraham wasn’t disrespecting me.”
“Brat, he called our son or daughter an ass baby.”
Harry shrugged. “I mean, technically they are…”
“Not an ass baby!” Daryl cut off before Harry could ass baby. “Our baby was conceived out of love and magic, they’re not an ass baby. If Abraham or anyone else calls them that I will bury an arrow between their eyes.”
“Wait!” Glenn cried. “You’re really pregnant? Like, there’s an actual baby growing inside of you?”
“Impossible!” Eugene muttered. “Impossible. Impossible. Impossible.”
“For most wizards it is impossible,” Remus explained, “but like we have said before, Harry is an extremely powerful wizard, one of the most powerful wizards alive today, and magic has granted him this miracle.”
“How is the baby delivered?” Bob asked clinically. “Will magic create a birth canal?”
“He will need a c section,” Remus answered. “Male pregnancies are very rare and very dangerous so Harry will be unable to perform much magic until after the baby has been born. He needs to put everything into growing and sustaining his baby.”
Harry looked nervously around. “That means I won’t be able to make any portkeys until after the baby is born. I’m so sorry. I know how anxious everyone is to get out of here, had I known that this could have happened I would have taken precautions. Daryl has no magic, it should have been impossible. Don’t worry, though, my headmaster will continue sending portkeys and you all can take them. You don’t have to wait until after the baby is born.”
Carol shook her head. “I’m not leaving you, Harry, especially now. I want to be here for you.”
“I already said that I’m staying,” Maggie spoke up.
“Leave and miss out on all the excitement?” Glenn chuckled anxiously. “Nah, I’m staying too.”
Michonne walked up to Harry and gave him a hug. “Congratulations, Harry, I’m so excited for you and Daryl. I’m not going anywhere, you never know when you might need a sword. You may be surrounded by werewolves, but you can never have too much protection.”
“I’m not leaving until the last person leaves,” Rick said. “I miss my son and daughter, but I know they are happy and safe with Hershel in the wizarding world.”
Sasha looked to her brother. “It’s not like we know anyone in the wizarding world. Everyone we care about is right here. We’re staying.”
Tyreese numbly nodded his head. “I’m struggling here with the image of a man being pregnant, but Sasha is right, we’re staying. We owe Harry our lives.”
Eugene shook his head. “I do not know anyone here. I just want to be safe. I am not like the rest of you. I am not brave and I am not a fighter.”
“f*cking puss*,” Merle growled. “I should eat you on the full moon.”
Harry made a disgusted face. “Merle, he’s not like you and Daryl. Not everyone was made for this new world. It’s alright that he wants to leave. He can take the next portkey.”
“Not if it’s a portkey for multiple people,” Sirius said. “We’re not wasting a portkey on one person, especially an ungrateful stranger.”
Remus nodded in agreement. “If Albus sends a single person portkey then he can have it, if not then we set it aside and save it until Albus sends enough so we all can go at the same.”
Harry looked back at Eugene. “I’m sorry, but my dads are right. We can’t waste a three person portkey on a single person unless there’s an emergency.”
“Understood,” Eugene said, though everyone could see that he was upset.
“I hate to bring this up,” Rick said, “but we have to stop taking people in. It’s not just about us getting out of here quicker, but it’s also a safety issue.” He had already discussed this Sirius, Remus, Daryl, Merle, and Harry, but this was his first time bringing up to the entire group.
“I agree, but there needs to be exceptions,” Carol said giving Rick an apologetic look.
“There are no exceptions.” Rick stated flatly.
“We can’t turn kids away.”
Remus looked to Rick. “Carol is right, we can’t turn kids away. If they’re accomplished by adults we will offer our assistance and help them find somewhere safe, but if they’re alone, we have to offer them a home with us.”
“Fine,” Rick reluctantly agreed. Turning to Daryl he asked, “Have you had eyes on Woodbury since the Governor’s disappearance?”
“Disappearance my ass,” Merle snorted.
Daryl smirked. “The Governor won’t be bothering anyone ever again.”
“You killed him?” Tyreese asked, sounding shocked but not upset.
“It was him or us,” Merle bragged.
Knowing that Tyreese and Sasha had been at Woodbury, Rick looked to them. “Do you know who is in charge now?”
Sasha shook her head. “When we left there was a group of the Governor’s men fighting for control, but it wasn’t safe for the girls so we snuck away.”
“What are you thinking?” Sirius asked Rick.
Rick sighed. “I’m not really sure, I’m just trying to think of a place we can send any survivors we come across. I’m not a bad person, I want to help others, I just don’t want to risk the safety of our group. The more people we let in the more we open ourselves up to conflict, danger, illnesses, power struggle, backstabbing…you name it. The world and the people in it right now are dangerous. I just want to keep everyone in this room safe.”
“You’re right,” Harry said softly, his face turning pale. “I never gave any thought to sicknesses and transmittable diseases. Merlin, just the thought of someone sick dying and turning in the middle of the night while we are all sleeping…that’s bloody terrifying. They could kill or bite half of us before we could even do anything.”
When Harry started shaking, Daryl picked him up and placed him on his lap. “Hey, don’t go looking for trouble. That’s not going to happen, everyone here is healthy and we now have a doc.”
“But it could happen if we keep allowing strangers in. I’m sorry, Rick, for giving you a hard time about not wanting to let people in, you were right. You lost your wife, Maggie and Glenn lost loved ones early on, Michonne, Carol and Abraham lost children, you all have suffered so much. I have been lucky, I haven’t lost anyone. I know my uncle died and my aunt and cousin are probably dead too, but I was never close to them. You all are my family now and I can’t lose any of you. For our safety, we have to be selfish.”
“No one but us can see the prison so we are safe from anyone trying to enter uninvited,” Remus reminded. “So we only have to worry about running into survivors when out on runs. I suggest not having any contact with them unless they are in dire need of help.”
Merle groaned dramatically. “I’ll scope out Woodbury, not just so we can send survivors there, but also to make sure they aren’t a threat. They’re too close for my liking.”
“I don’t know about this Woodbury, but those men that we encountered just a few miles from here, the ones that tried to take out me and Bob to get to Rosita, were heavily armed. We just lucked out that they didn’t know how to use those guns and that Bob and I are both trained military men.” Abraham explained. “You give me orders and I’ll help however you need.”
Rick’s eyes scanned the group. “It sounds like we have a plan. After the full moon Remus will take the girls to the wizarding world, Merle will scope out Woodbury, we will continue with supply runs, focusing on medical supplies both for Harry’s upcoming birth and the possibility of anyone getting sick, and we will watch out for survivors. We have survived this long, we can survive a few more months.”
