At the end of communication, people were all saying it was like the world had ended overnight.

Harry and Hermione knew better. After all, when you are trained to see the danger all around you, to never miss a clue, to never feel safe, well, it was easy to see what everyone else was missing.

There always seemed to be a group of people whispering in the Ministry. Diagon Alley was either incredibly busy or completely empty. The birds stopped flying, and some people disappeared. Hermione's parents reported similar oddities in the muggle world. People weren't going to church anymore. The stores were either packed or empty. Their neighbors started staying in the house, and one 55 year old man even purchased a firearm despite having never showed an interest before. There seemed to be a tenseness everywhere.

From the very first rumblings, it was apparent to Harry and Hermione that something was very wrong in the world. Something big was happening, and no one was going to say or do anything until it was too late.

Unfortunately, Ron did not feel the same. When they approached him about their doubts, he called them paranoid and crazy. He accused them of living in the past and needing the drama and adrenaline of a dangerous life to feel something – anything.

With Ron unwilling to believe them, they began to plan on their own. Since the days of camping in the forest of Dean, Hermione's backpack had been forever packed and ready by her bed. Some habits were incredibly hard to break after all. They sat down at her incredibly tiny kitchen table in her incredibly tiny flat and realized just how different it felt to plan something like this alone. They made a list of categories for potential disaster, things they would need to survive, and people to bring into the fold. They discussed each category one by one with a quick decisiveness born of necessity and practice.

"Alright, let's think as logically as possible. While the government hasn't stopped functioning, it's clear that something classified is happening if people are whispering about it in a government building. If it weren't for extendable ears I would never have known, but it's always hand to keep an ear out in a place as corrupt as the ministry," Hermione placed several books on the table as she rushed about the room.

"Yes, I agree. What worries me even more than that is the lack of bustle in Diagon. Even during Voldemort's active years people's attendance in Diagon never seemed to stagnate to this degree. It's almost like the regular patrons are no longer coming. Lines out the potions shop seem never ending, but line for entertainment shops and restaurants are practically barren." The worry line in Harry's forehead eroded deeper in as he spoke. He began to nibble on a sugar quill as he considered the possibilities.

"Harry...the potions shop, the hospitals, the mysterious deaths in Japan...you don't think this is truly a magical problem do you? It sounds like something else," Hermione nervously twisted a lock of hair with one hand while flipping a book entitled "Paranoid or Prepared – How an Average Wizard Can Survive Nearly Anything" by Flibgibiter Demontopolis.

"We could speculate all day, but I think it might be best to put the rush on this Hermione. 3 most likely possibilities before we move on to other things. One is obviously warfare. Perhaps something muggle spilling over into our world as our world spilled into theirs" Harry wrote warfare onto the list in a quick scribble before handing the quill over to Hermione.

Hermione gazed off into the distance for a moment before circling the potion's shop and hospitals on her notes before something sharp seemed to snap into her eyes. "Next likely possibility is disease. Many of the places on this list are places people would go when they are ill. Hospital supplies and potions are nearly always the first things to go in an epidemic or pandemic situation. While it doesn't seem as though things have reached that point yet, it is definitely a likely outcome based on the knowledge we have at present."

She wrote disease in her blocky handwriting on the line under warfare before setting the quill down on the table. She reached across the table for a teacup and took a shaky sip before steeling herself for the rest of the conversation.

Harry shot her a weak smile that always seemed to give her hope. They could do this. They were together and could get through this.

"Hermione, does anything else truly seem like a likely event to you?"
He asked this seriously. It was clear that his mind had been drawn to one of the possibilities on the paper, but never let it be said that Hermione wasn't thorough.

"Alright, what about some sort of government takeover. Maybe not ours, but in the muggle realm every decision against the Queen directly affects the Ministry. People are missing church, weekly trips to the store, and even staying inside. What if it isn't safe on the streets anymore? Some sort of underground regime change could cause the things we've been seeing...but...I have to admit it seems the least likely of the three possibilities," Hermione rattled in a rush. Her hand rubbed together with nervousness as she spoke, but the further into the theory she got the more she seemed to calm.

3 events, though only 2 seemed truly likely. 3 events and about a million more things to discuss.

"We need to move on. In all three scenarios there are a multitude of things to consider," Hermione continued, "food, shelter, health, power, and trustworthy people. The list is nearly endless honestly, and the way things are going I don't think we have much time. Maybe 2 weeks on the outside if whatever it is continues at this rate. Probably less if we are being realistic. Obviously we need to choose shelter first as it will take time to properly prepare a site for the presence of us and whomever we bring into this." Hermione flipped further into the book to a chapter clearly labelled, "Choosing the Optimum Shelter – Caves, Castles, and Citidels."

Harry transfigured a roll of parchment into a proper journal. There was clearly going to be more to plan and it seemed more efficient to keep all of their research in one location. He used a spell to copy their notes from the parchment onto the first page of the journal before flipping to a new page and scurrying to write different categories they would need to consider. He listened as she continued on after reading a few pages.

"The book says that survival depends heavily on being able to keep what you have safe and secure. There's a note that says the likelihood of pandemic disasters greatly increases if you notice signs such as looting, disappearance of average people, and hospital overflow. I think we need to consider that our most likely option at this point. In the event of a catastrophic disease a citadel is the best long term defense if given enough advanced warning to prepare. There is a list of spells, potions, and wards on the next page that will take roughly 3 days to prepare once we have found a property. We will need to find somewhere on a ley line with a lot of open space," Hermione began flipping through the book until she found another chapter entitled, "Tapping the Earth's Magical Veins: Leylines Across Our World." At this, she stopped to peruse a map. She produced another quill to mark likely places before putting a large X on the map.

"Harry, the largest untapped leyline is in America. It would be large enough to sustain the kind of compound we need plus more. All of the leylines in Britain have been built upon for thousands of years, so it would be nearly impossible to stay here unless you were already atop one. The only place I know of with that kind of location in Hogwarts, and you know as well as I do that they are still working on repairs." Hermione paused to let Harry digest the information.

"Alright, just tell me where we need to go Hermione. We can do this." Harry reached across the table to give Hermione's hand a quick squeeze. The conversation weighed heavily on them both, but there was no time to waste.

Hermione gave Harry a shaky smile and pointed to the large X on the map right outside Atlanta, Georgia in the United Stated of America.

Harry and Hermione paused their planning session to do two things that couldn't wait. First, Harry wrote a short message onto a slip of parchment that he copied 7 times before handing them to his temporarily rented owl Nightshriek. The message would be delivered to the parties they felt like they could trust, and they could only hope they would be followed. In the next hour, Neville, Luna, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Viktor Krum would receive a message that brought fear and trust in equal measure into their hearts before they began to plan. The message in Harry's scrawl read, "Superbia ejus, et leo suscipit. Danger is coming, prepare for the end."

Next, Harry and Hermione apparated outside of Gringotts Bank to gain a bevy of information about America and different items they would need to procure by the end of the week. After meeting with Rhuurthuuc they knew of a property outside of Atlanta that could be altered for their purposes, and a team of goblins had been sent out to build and reinforce walls as well as place underground and in wall wards. They had acquired the addresses of hospitals, medic shops, potion supplies stores, and apothecaries in both the muggle and magical world alike. Harry had to part with a truly insane amount of gold for the wards, but some of the panic had abated knowing that the best warders he knew would be preparing his home. Afterall, what good would money due with existence on the brink?

Exiting the bank was a strange event as they entered the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley. It seemed to be a busy day, and true to what they knew there was a line around the corner of both the potions supply store as well as the apothecary across the block. Deciding they could always hit up one of the stores on their list later (possibly after hours) they went to a magical grocery and began to clear the shelves of nonperishables and equipment. Rice, soup mixes, dried meats, lard, granola bars, every seasoning imaginable, bottled drinks, flour, and pasta were plentiful. It was clear that meat would be an important part of their survival that could not be stockpiled long term.

In another section of the store they loaded small ice chests, silverware, books on household charms, wand cleaning kits, toiletries, and alcohol into the cart. While it was not their goal to get drunk, Hermione knew alcohol was beyond useful when it came to weapons creation, medical needs, and even food preservation.

They rolled to the counter with 4 carts, and having been assured by Gringotts that whatever they had delivered to their new property could be added to the storage unit of their new home, he wrote his new address on a magic receipt that would send their supplies directly after he paid.

This sort of activity was repeated at every store in Diagon. Wands with even a vague connection to either of them were purchased from the wand shop that replaced Olivanders. 10 new owls were purchased from Eyelops Owl Emporium for breeding and contact. Books on defensive magic, offensive magic, medicine, foraging, inventing, technology, animal rearing, and communal leadership were purchased and sent to their compound. A trip to Madam Malkins had them outfitted with muggle clothing equipped with protective spells as well as high quality gloves, boots, and coats for the winter. Several sets were purchased in addition to their own in a variety of sizes "just in case." They even stopped in at the Magical Menagerie to see if they could find a magical variety of herding dog or farm animals that might be hardier. Harry was able to purchase a family of herding dogs from Bulgaria that knew verbal and magical commands. The female dog had just had a litter of puppies with a proud male who assessed Harry with a critical eye before allowing him to approach.

The farm animals were harder to acquire, but they were given a name and address for a breeder they could contact tomorrow. He specialized in pigs, but he also dealt in cows and chickens. They were well on their way to sustainability.

Before they left the Alley they went by Fred and George's joke shop. It had taken time to repair it from the continual raids on Diagon during the war. Once it had been returned to it's former glory it was never left empty. Customers bustled in and out, and it was the only place in the Alley where wide smiles were more popular than nervous glances and worried eyes. As they entered, George locked eyes with Harry and Hermione before bustling them to the back. He sent a spell to Fred to close the shop for lunch, something they never did, before starting to hustle customers out the door. After several moments, the store was closed and the twins met them in the back.

It was probably the most serious anyone had ever seen the twins.

"What's going on Harry – what do we need to do?" As always the twins talked seamlessly blending their sentence together. They eyes focused on Harry as they moved closer together in comfort.

"We don't know. Something is happening. Something life changing. Have you noticed a change in the alley? Patrons seeming tenser than usual? Line for some stores increasing exponentially without reason?" Harry shifted from foot to foot.

"Yes. Our business hasn't been down, but parents stick closer to their children. The apothecary and potions shop always have a line, and Slug and Jigger both say they've had to hire multiple potions makers to keep up with demand. How serious is this?" At this, they both turned their eyes on Hermione.

"From what we have estimated, incredibly. It could be the end of civilization as we know it. Our best guesses are warfare similar to Voldemort or a massive pandemic, a plague that could kill millions or billions of people. We began preparing today, and we found a property in America that will be ready in 3 days' time. We've sent messages to the round table to prepare as well. Your brothers all know, but Ron doesn't believe. Weasley Manor is not safe. You'll need to move your parents and band together with your brothers to fortify a property. Our research shows that somewhere along a leyline is the safest for warding and protection." Hermione paused. She wanted to beg Fred and George to come with them, to come to safety, but she knew they would never leave their family. The Weasley's would never leave Europe.

Fred smiled kindly, if weakly, before responding, "Fleur's parents have a manor in France on a leyline. It's out in the country near Alsace, and I'm sure we can convince Bill to fortify if he hasn't already. We'll move everyone we can within the next few days. We trust you."

They all moved forward for a hug. A circle of arms clung tightly to each other knowing this could be their last contact for some time. They could only hope the small warning would be enough to save those they loved.

Fred and George grabbed boxes of products for Harry and Hermione before handing a magic receipt over so Harry could transport them to the compound. The twins had been invaluable during the war, and their "prank" weapons had saved each other, as well as others, multiple times. With a promise for contact soon, Harry and Hermione left to continue gathering as much as they could.

It turned out that possibly the most useful place was The Junk Shop. Among its dusty and seemingly completely unorganized odds and ends they were able to find things they would never have thought to put on their list. Iodine tablets to purify water, water jugs, walking sticks, climbing gear, magical tents, boxes upon boxes of tennis shoes, shower shoes, gloves, and socks. Furthermore, though Hermione seemed completely disgusted with their surroundings, they were able to procure some farming equipment that the store owner thought was broken as well as a veritable cornucopia of seeds in a self-preserving kit guaranteed to keep them fresh for at least 5 years.

They returned to Hermione's flat feeling better about the future and grim about all the work that lay ahead of them. Hermione began to pack every available resource in her flat while Harry took the letter that Nightshriek had delivered while they were gone. Neville Longbottom had replied.

"Lion, Looney and I received your message loud and clear. Gred and Forge wrote about leylines, and the manor is properly outfitted for the long-haul. Looney and her father are already here as well as warders. We are working to bring the townsfolk into the manor's borders. Be safe. We love you. We shall not fall."

Harry felt pride fill his chest at reading Neville's words. If nothing else, he had helped a friend. There was a chance.

After a brief chat with Hermione, Harry left to pack up his own flat. He had cleared 12 Grimmuald Place out after the war. It had too many terrible memories, but he couldn't let Sirius' things be demolished. He took everything he could before allowing the wards to fall and informing the ministry that it should be removed from the block.

He shrunk and packed his bed, linens, curtains, toiletries, food, trunk, and anything that wasn't nailed down. With the gentlest of care he packed the photo album Remus had given him, his parents wedding rings, and his favorite photos from school. He took Slytherin's sword from the wall it had been mounted on since the war and strapped it to his back. The sword had mysteriously appeared in Harry's trunk after the defeat of Voldemort. He shrunk Nightshriek's cage and put it in the bottomless bag. He put some nonperishable items in a box on the floor near the door before writing a note and leaving it on the sofa table.

"I did my best. All hope is not yet lost. Save who you can, and I hope the food helps."

Then, taking a last look around and holding tightly to his things, Harry apparated from his flat for the last time.

That night, at exactly 11:59 pm, a rash of robberies would occur at a variety of locations all over the world. Hospitals, drug stores, groceries, farm annexes, weapons shops, home repair/improvement stores, department stores, and more would report the robberies in the morning to police that were quickly becoming overwhelmed by more and more bizarre cases of people biting other people and eating human flesh. The robberies would, of course, be ignored.

Unlike the stockpiles gained from magical stores, all of the muggle goods had to be transported by Gringotts Bank. After signing away more money, it was done.

At exactly 2:01 am a series of magical shops around the world would be carefully broken into in the same way. Potions, ingredients, cauldrons, stirring rods, portable kits, emergency kits, mastery kits, and more were taken in massive quantities from apothecaries and potions shops. Trunks were stolen from supplies stores as well as bottomless bags. Even jewelry stores reported missing goods, particularly on items that had been charmed for health and protection. As the Ministry and the Auror Department began receiving strange calls from terrified witches and wizards about crazed muggles and magic users the robberies were left for lesser wizards to deal with.

At 3:30 am Harry and Hermione decided to take a brief nap in shifts. While one slept, the other would be reading and planning various things for the compound. They would make a list of ideas and needs for the other to read upon waking. Harry sent Hermione to bed while he popped about their temporary resting spot.

After breaking into several magical shops they had decided that it was time to make their way to America. Gringotts had kindly provided a portkey upon their last trip to the bank, and they did not fail to see the irony as they journeyed to America clutching a string of pearls. A similar portkey and explanation would arrive for Hermione's parents in 2 days time when the citadel was completed.

With a swirl of lights and a pulling of the navel, they found themselves in a very closed food shop in Atlanta, Georgia. With a quick lumos it was clear that groceries in America were unlike anything either of them had ever seen. Aisles stretched onward endlessly pack completely full of items of all varieties. It wasn't just food, though there was an enormous supply of that, it was blankets, pet supplies, gardening equipment, toys, clothing, medical supplies, and nearly anything else once could think of finding. There was an entire section dedicated to disaster preparedness that had generators, gas, batteries, solar shower and greenhouse kits, veterinary equipment, crank radios, portable stoves, heat retaining blankets, etc.

With Hermione sleeping a few rows away with a monitoring charm on her form, Harry began to loot. They had stolen upwards of 15 bottomless bags. Bottomless wasn't really an accurate name as each bag could truly only contain about 5,000 pounds before the charm would fail and everything in the bag would be destroyed.

Harry performed a charm that numbered each bag. Then, he placed a weight detector charm on each bag before beginning to load them up. Anything of use went into a bag. Bags 1-3 were filled with items exclusively from the disaster preparedness aisle. Bags 4-9 were filled exclusively with food and gardening equipment. While Harry would love to clear the shelves of all food, it was truly pointless as it would go bad before they could ever think of eating it all. Only items with long shelf lives were put into the bags.

After expending magic packing and labeling, levitating and shrinking, Harry could feel his energy fading. He wrote a quick note to Hermione explaining what he had done while she slept. He emphasized the importance of proper clothing, medical supplies, hygiene products, and household items before canceling the monitoring charm and waking her gently by calling her name. In times such as these, a hand to the shoulder while sleeping was more likely to terrify than soothe.

Hermione woke slowly, rubbing her eyes while running fingers through her hair. She noticed Harry looking exhaustedly towards her hastily prepared bed as she rose and gestured for him to go to sleep. He climbed into her vacated place and instantly fell asleep as only one who is bone tired and full of trust can. She put up a monitoring charm, read Harry's note, and snorted as she realized all he had done. Of course he was tired, he had packed far more than she anticipated.

A sign on the door noted that the store would open at 9 am. Hermione estimated that employees would probably come to prep the store at 7, so she didn't have much time to do what was necessary and get the hell out with Harry in tow. It was already approaching 5:30, and there was still much to do. With a quick tap of her wand and a mumbled spell she set an alarm for 6:45 and got to work.

They knew they wouldn't be alone in their compound, at least not if things went right. Harry did a fabulous job preparing for them, but Hermione was a female and knew that there were things outside of food and medicine that were necessary for life after the end of what they knew.

Her first stop was to the hygiene section where she took every box of tampons and pads that she could find. Even things like pregnancy tests, condoms, and emergency contraception went into bag number 10. While the aisle wasn't sparse, it was clear that the store liked to keep these items on limited supply. She accioed the rest from the back and watched as the weight tracker tick up on the bag. Finally, she cancelled her accio and continued to another aisle.

Bag number 11 was for infant supplies. Harry had picked up things here or there, but he mostly left this section alone. Having never truly been around babies, Harry didn't really know what to get. Hermione shrunk nappies, bottles, dummies, cereals, formula, nail kits, nose bulbs, toys, and clothes for all weather types. Blankets, booties, and furniture made their way into the bag as well. Though Hermione could transfigure a cot, it was much safer to purchase one.

Bag number 12 was filled with alcohol.

Bag 13 was for entertainment. While they couldn't guarantee that they would have power, wizards had done well enough without it for thousands of years. She grabbed things that were familiar and unfamiliar that would bring comfort to survivors. Card games, board games, balls, handheld video games, game cartridges, and batteries. So many batteries. If there was one thing she recalled from her muggle childhood it was that nothing came with batteries and running out was a constant. Dolls, action figures, stuffed plushies, and even crafting supplies like knitting needles, yarn, plastic looms, etc. To each their own she supposed, and all the better to preserve those skills for the wool their sheep would produce.

Bag 14 was filled with school supplies. Harry might not know it, but she imaged plenty of children within their walls. She might never see Hogwarts again, but she damn well would ensure that the next generation was educated when they were safe. Pencils, sharpeners, paper, notebooks, pens, marked, colored pencils, glue, string, rulers, math tools, printer paper, printers, laptops, desktops, highlighters, folders, binders, and educational games filled the bulk of bag 14. The 50 pounds she hadn't filled she devoted to candy and chocolate. While the shelf life wasn't enormous, it would be good to provide treats to the children. All of the food was, per Hermione's ingenuity, placed into zip lock bags via a convenient lunch preparation spell.

There was of course two more things she knew for a fact that Harry hadn't considered. Having lived in the dark and dim almost exclusively his entire life, Harry had failed to plan for darkness. He played with the spiders in his cupboard as a child, and the fear of darkness was something he no longer had. Regular civilians would still struggle with it immensely. Flashlights were all well and good, but the batteries would eventually run out. With that, she made her way to candles and packed up the whole lot.

While on the run in the Forest of Dean, they had a workout regimen of jogging 4 miles, using trees for pullups, ground pushups, etc. The muggles would need more equipment, especially the children who were unused to such practices. Jump ropes, weights, steps, yoga mats, blocks, and towels went into the bag. It was approaching time for her alarm to go off, so she put a little more hustle into her steps.

Fishing gear had not yet been obtained, and she didn't know enough to make the most of what was available. Bag 15 was basically full, so options were limited. With a quick call to Gringotts via patronus, Hermione acquired an incredibly illegal magical receipt. She used a spell to copy over the items she wanted – polls, coolers, bait, fishing line, nets, traps, hooks, spare parts, etc. – and had the items transported to the compound. Right as the alarm began to sound, Hermione apparated to Harry's bed on aisle 10 to find him already awake and blearily rubbing at his eyes. He ran a hand through his messy hair and offered her a weak, but genuine, smile.

"Time to go then, eh?" His voice was gravely with sleep. Time was up, it was time to apparate back to the compound. They would have to do it separately so as to take all of the supplies.

"See you in a minute Harry, be careful." Hermione popped off with bags 8-15 strapped to various parts of her body. She would probably fall to a heap wherever she landed, but that was a small price to pay.

Harry took a last look around before noticing a crossbow that must have escaped their earlier doings. He grabbed it, strapped the bags to his body, and apparated to Lion's Lock outside of Atlanta, Georgia. He watched from his place on the ground as Hermione headed up the path towards the gate.

They were home.

Unfortunately, the Costco in Alexandria would not open to public that day. The doors would remain locked as crowds of people nervously milled about for an hour or so before deciding to depart for the next place. The manager of that particular Costco, David Brown, had gone to a birthday party for his daughter's friend the night before. Halfway through the party a girl of about 6 came down from round the block with a head wound and blood pouring down her face. Oddly, there seemed to be a lot of blood around her mouth. While trying to assist the girl, she bit him. He went to the hospital later that day, but there was nothing they could do. With a morphine drip in his arm and a fever raging through his body, the hospital administered their last dose of lethal codeine. He passed away in moments, and the hospital staff called in the military to help put down the incoming patients.

In a room not far from David's demise, Rick Grimes lay in a coma oblivious to the chaos in the halls. The hospital hadn't been overrun yet, but it was truly only a matter of time. Shane had been out on calls for the last 2 days straight that made no sense. Finally, he had a chance to visit his friend.

"Rick, buddy, you gotta get up. Things are getting real bad out there, and we need you. Your family needs you. I know things aren't great for you right now, but you've gotta be strong." Here, Shane grabbed Rick's hand for a quick squeeze. They were brothers in all but blood.

"I'm going to take Lori and Carl out to the cabin before they close the roads. We've got food and supplies up there that could last for years if we're careful. I hope you can make it man. I'd drag your ass out of here if they would let me. You know I would. I'll see you when you wake up." Shane leaned in close for a quick hug, one that was not returned, before scrawling the address of the cabin on Rick's arm in sharpie. There wasn't any paper in the room, so had to make due.

Things were getting crazy in the hospital. It didn't seem like anyone had checked on Rick all day, so Shane made a plan. He barricaded Rick's door from the inside with the dresser, tv, and chairs in the room. He even moved Rick's bed up against the door for added weight. Then he climbed out the third story window and shimmied his way down ledge by ledge until he hit the ground. As his feet landed with a smack, he heard gunshots from inside the hospital.

He ran back in to do what he could for Rick. The inside was complete chaos as men in military gear went down the hall in waves evacuating doctors and shooting patients. If a doctor or chart said a patient had been bitten, scratched, or mysteriously cut then the patient was shot in the head and dragged outside. Rick was safe with his gunshot wound. Shane slammed whatever he could against the door. He wedged a towel under the door in case Rick made noise when he woke up before grabbing a dresser from the room next door. There was blood everywhere, but there was no time to investigate.

With a shove the dresser was in front of Rick's door as well as a rolling gurney. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do. He ran behind the counter while the men were dragging out bodies and took the meds he knew were useful. He didn't know much, but penicillin and amoxicillin were familiar. Bandages, vitamins, etc. were all jammed into the police duffle bag on his shoulder before he hoofed it out the door with a prayer.

Hopefully, Rick would wake in the next day or two and meet him at the cabin.

Shane didn't know he would never make it there.

- Author's Note-

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed my madness.

Superbia ejus, et leo suscipit means the lion protects his pride.