Hoorah for quick updating. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

A couple of reviewers asked last chapter, so in case anybody else was wondering; the water zombies are mutated humans, and not mermaids. Truthfully, although I love mermaids, I completely forgot they existed in the Harry Potter universe, otherwise I would have made this clearer, so apologies for any confusion.

There is a lemon at the end of this chapter, so if you want to read some smut involving awkward first times, travel over to Ao3 or HPFandom; the links to my page are in my profile.

L4D

Harry darted towards the table and grabbed hold of the wand, not that the others would have felt the need to take it before he could.

"Err, Harry? Why are you so excited over a stick?" Ellis asked, confusion evident on his face.

"I don't know, Ellis," Nick retorted, rolling his eyes. "Why do you think a wizard would be excited over finding a wooden stick in a magical village?" Harry found it amusing Nick was a Muggle, yet managed to talk about the Magical World as if it was normal.

"Oh, it's a wand!" Ellis grinned after a moment. "Can you show us some magic?"

Harry didn't nod; he just held the wand in his hand and aimed it at the far wall, away from the group. He knew that a wizard or witch couldn't use any old wand, and he hoped it wouldn't be too temperamental.

He decided to try a basic spell, so if it did go wrong it wouldn't be too drastic.

"Lumos," he cast, and he beamed as a light shone from the end of the wand. It kept on flickering, occasionally throwing out a wide beam of light before dwindling down into just a flicker, but he had magic!

"Ooh, try another one," Rochelle cheered on, and Harry thought for a moment.

"Aguamenti," he said, grinding his feet as a burst of water shot from the wand. Like with the Lumos spell, it varied in it's intensity; obviously the wand was somewhat incompatible with him, but it would do the job.

Knowing that, Harry felt more confident as he held the wand towards his own wrist and muttered "Episkey." He winced as his whole hand warmed up considerably, and then felt like he had dunked his hand into an Arctic lake.

"That's convenient," Nick muttered. "Anyone else have any injuries? I want to get moving before we run into that Voldem guy again."

"Voldemort," Harry corrected; Nick flipped him the finger, which made Harry grin.

The others were ready to move; Harry suspected all of them were cautious over the Inferius, and he couldn't say he blamed them.

The safe room door opened onto a wide stretch of land, but it looked considerably neater than before, or as neat as a swamp could be.

They shot at the zombies who were stumbling ahead of them; Coach hit a Boomer which exploded, spraying the ground with gunge.

"Lovely things, aren't they?" Rochelle muttered as she stepped around the mess.

They followed the dry earth up towards more houses. Unlike the previous places, these were large, two storey buildings that were, for the most part, well built. Besides the blood stains and broken doors and windows, they actually looked rather sophisticated compared to the other homes they had seen.

"I guess this is where the rich swamp people live," Ellis commented, looking impressed at the houses.

"Define rich," Nick added scathingly.

"I think we're getting towards the outer swamp," Coach mused. "The ground is getting firmer."

"About time," Nick muttered.

They all jumped as acid landed at their feet, making them all leap away. A Spitter was standing behind them; her mouth was opening and closing but no sound was coming out. Harry didn't have time to examine why though, because with a shot she had crumpled to the floor, her skin rotting away in her own acid.

They carried on through the town, stopping as they reached a large house built from bricks, with a couple of cars outside it.

"Do you think that'll have supplies inside?" Rochelle asked, trying to peer through the windowless frames.

"It might have; looks like it's been ransacked though," Harry answered, noting that even the car windows had been smashed in. He wondered why nobody had driven away.

Rochelle moved to look through the door, and immediately stepped back out.

"Let's not go in there," she said gravely.

Ellis ran to look inside. "Oh man, that's gross as Hell," he muttered, scrunching his nose up.

"What is it?" Harry asked, making Ellis grimace again.

"The whole family killed themselves; hanging by the rafters. Guess it's like a piñata for zombies."

Harry pulled a face too as he got a mental image, and he happily followed the survivors away from the house.

They travelled up a well maintained road, edged by trees and hedges, but which was unfortunately cut off by a large road blockage.

"Hey! There's the plantation house," Ellis said cheerfully. "What? I know how to read; it said on the graffiti in that nice safe room that the survivors headed here," he said regarding all of their questioning looks; or rather Nick's.

"Oh; well done, Ellis," Rochelle said, sounding genuinely surprised. Ellis either didn't notice or didn't care as he smiled brightly.

Only a couple of zombies were lingering in the grounds, and they were easily killed.

The plantation house itself was huge, going up three floors and very vast. It looked like it was in the process of renovation, and a ladder was propped against the side of it, which would allow them entry to the first floor, or the second floor as the other survivors would call it.

"What are the chances we find them alive?" Harry asked as they climbed the ladder.

"I'd say slim to none," Nick said confidently.

"No; I think you're wrong, Nick," Ellis retorted. "I reckon there's plenty chance they're hiding somewhere in a house this big."

They quietly worked their way through the house, and found it empty of both zombies and humans. The graffiti on the walls suggested the surviving villagers had made it that far, though. The mansion was pretty run down however, and combining the crumbling walls and blood stained floors, Harry suspected nobody had made it.

The others seemed to have reached the same conclusion, as a dejected atmosphere settled over the group.

"Where are we gonna go from here?" Rochelle asked quietly; no-one answered.

"Let's have a look round the grounds," Coach decided, gesturing for the others to follow him down the stairs and into the grounds of the mansion. It was a rather pretty set up, with paths clearly made out amongst patches of flowers and trees.

A large gate rested at the end of the garden, and a radio was placed next to it.

"I wonder if that works," Nick mused, running over to it. He checked the coast was clear before examining it.

"Any luck?" Harry asked, and Nick nodded with more enthusiasm than Harry had seen in him before; it still wasn't much.

"Hello?" Nick said, speaking into a microphone.

They all waited with baited breath.

"Hello there!" a voice came through, sending a new feeling of positivity through them all. "I ain't heard nobody for a long, long time. How can I help ya? Where is ya at?"

"We're at a big house," Nick told the man, "by the swamp."

"Y'all stay there; I'mma comin' for ya."

"He makes you sound articulate, Ellis," Nick muttered once the man was off air.

"Hey, I can be plenty articulate," Ellis criticised, and Nick smirked.

"Do you even know what articulate means, Overalls?" the older man asked, and Ellis shrugged.

"Like smart of somethin'?" he replied, and the suited man rolled his eyes.

"Do you hear that?" Harry interrupted, frowning as he heard a low growl.

It seemed to be coming from ahead of them, but there was nothing there.

Feeling paranoid, and just because he could, Harry raised his wand and whispered "Petrificus Totalus."

Something heavy fell to the ground with a large thud, and the body of a Tank flashed for just a moment before disappearing, then repeating the action.

"Incarcerous," Harry cast, and he smiled when ropes wrapped tightly around the Tank; the fact the ropes stayed in position even while the Tank wasn't visible suggested the Tank itself was under some sort of Disillusionment Charm or something similar.

"I love magic," Ellis said with a grin.

The sound of groaning and growling started to grow louder and louder, and they stood with their backs against the gate, watching as zombies began to appear from all directions.

"How do they know we're here?" Rochelle hissed.

"Incendio," Harry said, throwing flames out over at his side while the others began shooting. Harry switched to his gun, firing at the ones who were managing to get through the flames.

"That guy better hurry up," Nick shouted, shooting a Hunter through the eyes before it pounced on him.

The horde began to clear as they took out the zombies, using the fire as a barrier, but the fire was starting to die down, and as the last zombie fell to the ground, the roar of a Tank started again.

They span around, trying to place it, when another groan much closer to them reached their ears.

The Tank on the ground was starting to twitch, the ropes stretching to dangerous limits as they were trying to be forced off. Harry guessed the spells must not last as long with his magic working with the wand.

"Two Tanks? Two Tanks? Really?" Nick shouted at the sky.

Harry cast the Jelly-Legs Jinx curse at the Tank before it could stand up and disappear from sight completely again.

"Put a ring of fire around us," Nick ordered, and Harry complied, casting Incendio again and drawing it around them in a semi-circle.

The second Tank was upon them now, watching them from the doors of the house.

"Confringo!" Harry yelled, aiming it at the building above the Tank's head. The walls fell apart, falling onto the Tank and making it roar in anger, then run forwards towards them.

He yelled out the Conjunctivitis Curse; Sirius had told him it would have been good for a dragon, and Krum had successfully proven that, and if it could work on a dragon it must surely work on a Tank.

He felt like cheering when the zombie stopped running and screamed in pain. It's thick hands began to claw at it's eyes.

Somebody was firing bullets into it, while others fired at the other Tank that was attempting to stand up on it's jellified legs.

"Am almost there; stay clear of the gates," Virgil's voice came over the radio, and they all glanced at each other.

Harry cast Aguamenti to put out the flames, and they ran to the side. The Tank finally managed to get to it's feet, but then the gate was blasted off it's hinges, and the debris flew, smacking the Tank back into the ground.

The other Tank was still blindly stumbling around, so they decided to run.

The blast had given them entry to beyond what had been the gate, and they found it opened onto a river.

They sprinted down the broken jetty where a boat was waiting for them. A large gun was pointed out the window of the main cabin.

They jumped onto the boat, and immediately it began to kick into action, moving away from the land and across the river.

They rested for a few minutes, catching their breath as the scenery of the swamp started to become less and less.

The man had stopped the boat in the middle of the river, and he came out of the cabin.

He was a tall man, and in the late stages of middle-age, but not quite elderly. He wore a large sun hat, worn denim jeans and a tattered shirt.

"Hello there; I'm Virgil," the man greeted.

"Hello," Coach replied. "My name's Coach, this is Rochelle, Nick, Ellis and Harry."

Virgil smiled at them all as Coach named them, but when he saw Harry his smile widened to unnatural proportions; his awe at seeing Harry's scar told him this man was a wizard.

"Well I'll be; Harry Potter on my boat," Virgil grinned. "How'd ya end up all the way in Louisiana?"

"I didn't realise we were in Louisiana," Harry answered. "I got stranded on holiday in Georgia, then we got in a helicopter crash and ended up in the swamp here."

"I'm glad I can be of service to ya, Harry. We were mighty worried that that Voldemort fella would be making his way over to us; did us a real favour gettin' rid o' him."

Harry smiled awkwardly.

"So, were you from the villages back there?" Coach asked, and Virgil nodded.

"The last survivor, I was. A group of us made it to the house you was at, but I was the only one who made it out. Promised ma wife I'd escape for her, ya see; promised her before she changed."

"Are you a wizard too?" Ellis questioned, and Virgil looked surprised for a moment.

"Oh yes; not been a Muggle in our community for over a hundred years, until y'all came here, o'course. We never went to a fancy school like that Hogwarts; passed our own knowledge down to the young'uns. Now, where ya heading to?"

"We want to go to New Orleans; last we heard it was the last place standing," Rochelle told the man who nodded.

"That ain't a problem," Virgil stated, grinning again. "I been sleepin' in the cabin in case I need a quick getaway. One of y'all can bunk wi'me in there. Rochelle, I gotta room right behind there for ya; I shan't have a lady sharin' with men. Ya other three can split the two rooms in the lower cabin."

"I want a room to myself," Nick said instantly, his eyes daring anyone to argue with him.

"I don't mind sharing with Virgil," Coach muttered. "Harry and Ellis; you okay with sharing?"

"I'm sure they'll be plenty fine," Nick answered for them. Rochelle blushed while Harry blanched. Ellis completely missed the point of the comment.

"Now, y'all go get some rest. Virgil'll keep us goin' to New Orleans," Virgil smiled, heading back into the steering cabin.

Harry, Ellis and Nick opened the door to the lower cabin and clambered inside.

Nick entered first, holding his arm up to block Harry and Ellis getting through as he opened the doors to both rooms.

"I want this one," the older man decided in the end, picking the one closest to the door. It also happened to be the biggest.

He slammed the door shut before they could argue with him.

"Guess we get this one," Ellis muttered, leading them into a smaller room which basically consisted of a bed; there wasn't even a window.

Harry shut the door before sitting down beside Ellis on the bed.

The boat had started moving again, and the gentle rocking of the water was quite relaxing.

"I like bein' on a boat; I feel safer," Ellis murmured. "My buddy Keith; he got real sea-sick once. We went fishin' out at the lake, and he hurled right into the water. O'course, as he was leaning over he fell in and nearly drowned 'cause he'd eaten right before."

"He sounds more disastrous than me," Harry said with a grin. "Do you think Nick can hear us?" he asked, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"I dunno; Nick?" Ellis said loudly, receiving no answer. "Nick?" he repeated louder, this time banging on the wall. A moment later their door was wrenched open.

"What?" he hissed.

"Jus' testing the walls," the mechanic smiled, making Nick roll his eyes.

"Well quit it; I would actually like to sleep now I have a comfortable bed," the older man growled before slamming the door shut.

"I suppose they are quite comfy," Harry agreed, lying down and resting his head on the pillows.

"I guess they are," Ellis responded, positioning himself next to Harry. "Do you think Virgil'll take us straight to the army in New Orleans? It'd be nice not to have to fight zombies anymore; I mean, it were fun at first, but it seems to be dragging a bit now."

"I hope he does," Harry said. "I know what you mean; I thought I'd be used to living with the possibility you could be killed any day, but you can never really get used to it."

"Gotta make the most of each day, Momma always used to say," Ellis reminisced.

"I suppose it counts more than ever now," Harry mused. He shut his eyes, feeling the bliss at resting. Then Ellis kissed him, and he couldn't care less about resting.

He kissed back passionately, wrapping his arms around Ellis' back as he rolled the boy on top of him.

Harry's hand trailed up to Ellis' head to pull the cap off him, making the mechanic break from the kiss.

"What you doin' to my hat?" he asked in shock; Harry rolled his eyes.

"Why do you need it on in a boat?" he asked, placing it on his own head. "I guess it's quite warm; I might keep it," he joked.

Ellis grinned and pulled the cap off Harry's head, throwing it to the side, before pressing his lips against Harry's once more.

Their kiss became more and more heated, and Harry could feel Ellis' erection pressing against his own.

"You know how we were saying to make the most of what we have?" Harry murmured against Ellis' lips.

Ellis whined, his hands travelling under Harry's shirt as his mouth moved to Harry's neck.

"Do ya want to? I mean; you know," Ellis whispered.

"Only if you do," Harry answered, and Ellis nodded.

"But what if someone walks in?" the mechanic shared his worry, and Harry grinned and reached for his wand.

"Colloportus," he cast, and then explained to Ellis; "it magically locks a door; they won't be able to get in, at least not for quite a while. I'll even cast a spell to block sound," he said as he cast an Imperturbable Charm on the door too.

"Perfect," Ellis grinned, kissing Harry once more.

His lips moved down to suck on Harry's neck lightly, as the younger boy cast his hands through Ellis' thick hair, feeding his fingers through the matted knots.

"I don't suppose you have a condom or anything?" Ellis asked, and Harry shook his head.

"Unfortunately it wasn't in my must-haves," Harry muttered. "I'm clean though; I've not been with anyone before."

"Me either," Ellis said quietly as he blushed. "We should be fine then?"

"Yes," Harry said with a shy smile. "We'll be fine."

They resumed their kissing, both of them allowing their hands to wander. It was clear they were both nervous, but as they got braver, their movements got bolder.

Zombie Apocalypse or not, Harry found it was the most perfect night of his life.

L4D

I hope you liked the chapter.

They're finally out of the swamp; onto the Hard Rain campaign next. I'm really looking forward to this part because it's one of my favourite campaigns. For anyone who likes the Witches, you'll be in for a treat.