Harry Potter and the Walking Dead

By Martin70

Summary: Harry survives the war against Voldemort and lives the next thirteen years traveling after Ginny rejects him in favor of Neville Longbottom. In his travels, Harry becomes more powerful and wiser. Peace ends for the world when an evil rogue wizard, hoping to make a name for himself, sets a series of events in motion that will destroy the world and begins the Zombie Apocalypse. Now Harry is forced out of his self-imposed retirement in order to save what's left of humanity, or watch everything and everyone around him fall and die...

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or The Walking Dead. This story is purely for my enjoyment and posted here so others may enjoy it as well. I have received no money, and will not accept any from anyone for this story. (/sigh) Now that this is out of the way, I won't repost it every chapter as I see others doing. Once is enough as far as I'm concerned, and this disclaimer covers the entirety of this story from start to finish... Whenever that may be... Thanks, Martin70.

AN1: This story is based on MathiasNightlord01's story challenge on fanfiction dot net (story id: 11141689/1/).

Challenge 1: Must start 10-15 years after Deathly Hallows. Check.

Challenge 2: Harry has been learning magic in obscure places around the world as he travels over the 10-15 year period. Check.

Challenge 3: No Ginny pairing. Check.

Challenge 4: Fred survives Battle of Hogwarts because Percy saves him, taking the killing curse himself. Check.

Challenge 5: Harry has had a few relationships over the years, but no marriages. Check. (Got a possible past pairing or two in mind... hehehe.)

Challenge 6: Magicals are immune to the plague. Check.

Challenge 7: The Statute of Secrecy is repealed by the ICW after the muggle world falls apart. The Wizarding World is exposed as magicals worldwide begin to combat the threat and save as many muggles (not to mention themselves) as possible and search for a cure... Check.

Challenge 8: Harry must go to America to save muggles there and run into Rick's group. Check.

Rules: (taken directly from challenge page...)

1.) Harry MUST be able to use his magic to the fullest and not be nerfed to be suddenly stupid or weak like the majority of HP/WD crossovers do. This rule is non-negotiable.

2.) Harry must be more powerful, knowledgeable, and less dependent on others than he was in canon due to the years he has spent traveling and learning during his time after the Battle of Hogwarts.

3.) No Harry Slash or Bi Pairings Allowed. Check. (Not my cup of tea anyway.)

4.) No Fem!Harry Allowed. Check. (Most are too convoluted read anyway. If anyone knows a good one post it to me in a review or PM me.)

5.) Harry didn't abandon the Deathly Hallows but secretly kept them with him in the 10-15 years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Check. (I never bought the whole idea of Harry leaving any of the Hallows for others to find later (the Resurrection Stone) or destroying one (the Elder Wand).)

6.) No Magical or Multiple Animagus forms if the author chooses to make Harry one. Check. (Got one picked out -and no it's not magical or a wolf...)

7.) Since the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy has been lifted, Harry has no need to hide his magic from Muggles. Check and double check.

8.) All authors taking this challenge must put a disclaimer in their stories saying where the ideas listed in this challenge page come from. This is to avoid problems in case I wish to use some of these ideas myself if I ever find the time to write a story for this challenge myself. Check.

AN2: This story will be a strictly seat-of-the-pants in nature, so I don't know what is going to happen anymore than you the readers do until I've written it. I have a rough idea of how I want this story to go and I will explain at least a little bit about how the ZA begins in the first few chapters. After that, it's all my muse and maybe a little feedback from friends and reviewers. That said, this story will also have a few wild twists I will throw in for variety and possibly have some cameos from characters in few of my other stories. The cameos may be short, or long, depending on the will of my muse and they WILL push the story forward in some fashion whether it be to save a main character in the story or having Harry run into another group led by one of my other characters... Anyway, I know that might seem confusing to some of you, cause I'm getting a headache just writing this note, lol.

AN3: A little side note, wizards apparate from place to place. They don't disapparate as diapparating would in literal terms mean they stayed put. Dis = not... so disapparate means not to apparate Also Apparition is not the proper word for this spell, apparition means ghost or phantom, therefore Apparation is going to be used as that is the logical spelling for the spell.

PS, If this upsets you, don't read my story, you'll just get angry... /sigh

Thanks, Martin70

Now then, on with the story!

Prologue

Thirteen Years After The Battle of Hogwarts

Standing in a dark and dank cavern lit by candles and a single torch, a dark and evil man began to chant over an ancient looking artifact. The artifact being a large black sphere a foot in diameter resting in the middle of a ritual circle. The circle had dozens of ancient runes tied into a single matrix. This matrix had a single purpose, to raise the dead and bend them to his will, but the evil man chanting over the artifact was in way over his head... though he didn't know that, not yet...

The artifact began to glow an eerie green, the color of an Avada Kedavra spell in fact. When this happened, the man's concentration slipped slightly, but that was more than enough for the artifact to awaken fully...

Long ago, in a time long forgotten, even to the first human spell casters of this world, the artifact was used to raise an army of undead that destroyed that civilization utterly, leaving no traces of its existence in the fossil record. The sphere had a long and bloody history, from its ancient forming to today, it had been sought out by evil. Atlantis fell because of it, and even Voldemort had sought it, and had used it once using a tiny matrix to power his Inferi...

Now, a new user was about to unleash its full power once again, only this time, he'd increased the size of the matrix beyond the scope called for through the indoctrination of the sphere. The wizard was weak of will, truth be told, and he'd sought to regain some of his free will, hoping to overpower the ritual and destroy the sphere itself in the process. It might have worked, but for his weak will and poor concentration. Instead of destroying the sphere, the ritual circle fed it untold power via the ley lines on which it now sat. What was intended, at best, to create an army of thousands, if drawn up correctly, the circle fed enough power to the sphere to infect the globe... the whole of the Earth...

Is it any wonder that the dead worldwide began to rise?

Back in the cavern, the wizard was burned to ash... his name never known or feared by anyone... Though if anyone had known it and what he'd just done, it's a certainty that it would have become a curse uttered by every mouth on the planet...

Across the planet, in small numbers at first, the dead began to rise and they began to feed. Many became feverish as the power of the sphere passed over them so subtly as to go unnoticed by anyone. Those too began to die after a few hours to a few days. Those, now dead, rose as well and began to feed and infect more until the world was engulfed and the ZA kicked itself off into full swing.

The Sphere itself pulsed on, giving off a deep greenish glow, forgotten once more by all who now lived... save one...

HPTWD

Three Weeks Later

Harry Potter watched in horror as old friends, strangers, and others fought and died before his very eyes. A herd of hundreds of walkers was attacking Diagon Alley in London.

Of course, they fought as well, but the numbers of Inferi were beginning to rise as muggles in London proper died and increased their ranks. Normally, wizards and witches didn't use offensive magic and many fell due to the lack of memory recall, either getting the wand movements wrong or saying the words to a spell incorrectly. It was a steep learning curve, those who cast their spells properly lived and protected those they could or those who didn't and fell to the feeding frenzy breaking out in the alley. The number of able bodied fighters was dwindling fast...

"We have to fall back to Gringots! There are too many of them!" Ron called out to the crowd and his fellow Aurors.

Shacklebolt gave a nod as he cast an overpowered diffindo into the crowd of walkers. "Fall back! Fall back to Gringots!" he yelled with a Sonorus cast on his throat. This of course riled the undead herd before them, egging them on.

As if a dam had broken, the crowd of defenders began to run from the fight. Some tripped and were jumped by the undead horde now pouring into the alley from the Leaky Caldron. How the undead had found their way into the tavern was unknown, but now no one could safely close off the gateway from there.

It wasn't hard to get away from the herd, the walkers weren't super fast of anything, it was just so unnerving to watch the herd just keep on coming despite all the spells that were flying at them. People panicked and ran into side shops only to be trapped as the herd branched out into the alley and began to feed. Others would apparate away, only to find their destinations swarming with more walkers. There was little hope left. Some who apparated out found themselves attacked before they could react. A few simply gave up and let the herd consume them rather than live on after watching ones they loved being eaten. It was the saddest day in English history. The sun was about to set on their mighty empire for the final time...

Harry and Ron held the doors with the goblins for as long as they could as the alley fell. They saved dozens, but hundreds more fell before they were forced to seal the doors. Most of the Aurors fell at that door, defending it nearly to the last man. Only Ron and Shacklebolt remained of their squad.

"We will seal the other doors as well wizards..." said a surly looking Goblin.

Harry nodded wearily, "Alright then. Will you need any assistance?"

The goblin scowled at Harry, "No, not from thieving scum like you, Potter..." as he walked off in disgust, the goblin muttering about the sword of Griffindor and broken promises.

Harry sighed and pulled Ron into a brotherly hug. The Goblins would never forgive him for that, even if it had been Neville who'd summoned the sword to kill Nagini.

"I'm glad you're alive mate." Harry said to Ron.

"Same here Harry. Did you see where Fred and George went during the attack?" asked a worried Ron.

Harry nodded wearily, "Yeah, they pulled Ginny and Molly into the store early on and sealed their doors before those thing could get close. I'm sure they'll be fine. They're probably back at the Burrow or went to the Ministry for protection."

Ron sighed, "I hope you're right mate. I'll see if I can make a floo call. I'll try the burrow first, then the Ministry."

Ron headed off while Shacklebolt came up to Harry. "Hello Mr. Potter. I had hoped to see you again under different circumstances."

Harry gave a nod to the head of the DMLE, "Yes sir. Good to see you've made it through that mess out there. Did you need something or is this just a social call?"

"Yes Harry, I'm afraid I've been ordered to conscript all available wizards and witches who know one end of their wand from another to fight this new threat." Shacklebolt said looking strained.

"Whose idea was that, Malfoy's?" Lucius Malfoy had bought his way out of trouble again after the Battle of Hogwarts and eventually gained the power he'd always wanted, the position of Minister of Magic in Britain. Old prejudices died hard in the wizarding world and his winning of the last election proved this out to many muggleborns and half-bloods. One of the main reasons Harry had left the country was because he'd seen which way the wind was blowing.

"No one's seen Malfoy in a week. A search of Malfoy Manor turned up nothing. Right now he's presumed to have fled the country. Augusta Longbottom has taken up the mantle of Minister for Magic and is coordinating with the ICW to find out what caused this calamity and to hopefully put a stop to it. Thank Merlin Magicals are immune to whatever this is, we might have a fighting chance to end this successfully." Shacklebolt informed Harry.

"Mrs. Longbottom, good, she's just what we need right now. Someone who knows what they're doing!" Harry exclaimed. "Okay then Shack, you've got me. What do you need me to do?"

Just then, Ron returned. "Heya mate, the family's fine. They're at the Ministry. I've been told to tell everyone that the Unspeakables are going to launch a counter offensive and take back the Alley in two hours. They would like for anyone who is able to assist them when the time comes."

Shacklebolt gave a sigh of relief, "Very good Mr. Weasley. That is good news indeed. Harry I'd like you to gather everyone who can fight and meet us at the main door to the bank. Ask the Goblins to help as well. We can negotiate a price for their services later."

Harry nodded and pulled Ron along to help.

HPTWD

Two and a half hours later, the Alley was back under wizarding order. The undead were gathered and banished and the then the cleanup began.

Outside Diagon Alley, the city of London fell...

HPTWD

Hogwarts, School of Witch Craft and Wizardry

The Following Week

Hogwarts was in the maelstrom of chaos as witches and wizards from around the world flocked to the school as a bastion from the evil that had befallen the world. The ICW convened a meeting at the school and, with those representatives present, called a vote to repeal the Statute of Secrecy. This was unanimously passed and notices sent out to all surviving muggle governments as well as the magical communities scattered across the earth. Some governments rejected the ICW's announcement as a ploy to take over the world for themselves. Others desperately begged for assistance as they were about to be overrun. Those who rejected the ICW's help fell, those that sought help were helped to evacuate to safer places inside their prospective countries and tried to govern the chaos that was ensuing. Even some of these safe havens were lost due to the muggles being infected. Whole governments that had been saved were thus lost, before anyone could stop it. Eventually, anyone that came to the havens was quarantined for a set number of days before they were allowed to interact with other survivors.

Hogwarts itself almost fell when the large group of muggles they'd been able to move there came under attack during the night by a single walker that had died there that evening without anyone else noticing their absence. That walker fell up a lone muggle as he slept and began to feed, that muggle was turned and that was the catalyst that nearly wiped out the remaining muggles in the camp on the Quidditich field. A few were saved by Hagrid using a troll's club he'd saved since Harry's first year at school. His moleskin coat keeping the walkers from getting a bite out of him as he bashed in skull after skull. When it was all over and the remaining survivors had been moved inside the castle, Hagrid had fallen to his knees and screamed out his anguish at having to kill and because he'd been unable to save several children who he'd later had to kill after they had turned as well. After that, he walked into the Forbidden Forest and disappeared, no one now knew whether he was still alive or had died in the woods he'd tended for so many years...

HPTWD

Several weeks passed by as the muggle world fell into utter disarray. In the Wizarding World, wizards and witches, worldwide, were formed into teams of four and sent out in search of the living. Harry was asked to form such a team and he did so. Ron, Neville, and Hermione, who'd been abroad like Harry until the plague hit, formed his small unit.

They were sent over to the United States to help recover those they could. The American Ministry was very shorthanded because their government had been closely linked to the muggle government and a good many magicals had fallen during the initial phase of the recovery operation that was now ongoing, as well as the fact that America was one big land mass! The American wizards were stretched extremely thin over so much territory.

HPWTD

AN: So there's the first chapter, aka -Prologue. I know it's a bit short, but that's as it should be.

"The hall is rented, the orchestra is engaged, It's now time to see if you can dance..." -Q

The next chapter is coming soon...