Author note: This is AU and Slashy so if you don't like either don't read. I apologise in advance if anyone is offended but this isn't a political statement, merely an idea that came to me while walking up the stairs to my bedroom. As ever none of it belongs to me. I'm actually writing this out of sync so a later chapter was written before this was finished, and I'm constantly working on it in my head while I try and sleep. It's taking a while to write so please be patient with me. Also if anyone would like to beta I would be more than grateful. Luff out.

The Last Battle

He never expected that the greatest threat to Hogwarts; to the students now would be the Muggles. The Prime Minister hadn't cared to share his problems with Severus on their weekly debriefings, and as far as anyone was aware the only thing threatening the world were actions done in the name of Voldemort.

Severus had never been so blind that he believed Muggles were not a threat, they were, but they always seemed as if they were existing in a whole different world, one where wizards occasionally infringed but Muggles didn't return the favour. The magical world, regardless of where the people were born were automatically Magical, no longer Muggle regardless of what the Pureblood's propagandized, remained Magical, and the Muggle world remained Muggle.

He was by no means ignorant to Muggle life; he understood science, and the range of diseases, even the cures. He'd marveled at the pure genius of inventors, how they made things work; the way that they'd managed to do things that Wizard's did, but without magic. He'd even adopted some of their more interesting practices within his quarters, there was no doubt about it there was a lot to be admired.

He also knew about the different methods of killing, from the gun to the atomic bomb. He'd read about the effects of nuclear war, he'd seen public information tapes, seen it at the pictures, had even been to Hiroshima, but it never seemed real, it always seemed like science fiction. He'd never really considered that the Muggles would use it against each other, it was too destructive, chemical warfare yes, kill a population and move in and take over the location without damaging the ground, the structures. Not ruining them for the next hundred two hundred years, Muggles didn't live that long…

He had two days warning, two days to mobilize his world, to warn people to try and save the Magical world from the Muggle one. He wouldn't have had that if it hadn't been for the Prime Minister looking guilty at their last meeting, as he should. Severus had turned up a day early, it was his anniversary soon and had planned to spend the next couple of days organizing it, but instead now he was in a cold sweat.

"You know about our trouble with the Middle East, and with the USA, how we put ourselves into a situation. Similar to that during the Cold War" The PM's normal cheery façade had vanished, leaving a strained fifty year old man, the voice of a strong leader now weak and anxious. He was a peacetime leader, he wasn't a Churchill, he hadn't expected everything to happen, and now he had to break the news to someone who perhaps could have helped if he'd known.

"Uh – Well, as you know the Russians and the Americans were so close several times to setting off their bombs, which would have destroyed the northern hemisphere for any living life, and damaged the Southern as well." Coughing he couldn't even make the others eyes, instead moving to the window that looked out over the Thames, his eyes unseeing as he broke his explanation again.

"Both believe strongly in their own ideals, a date has been set, the final showdown, New Years Day, 0.00 GMT, if by that time either one hasn't backed down, and believe me neither will, the Middle East will press their button, and the Americans will press theirs.

"The public will not know about this, only a few and I mean a few officials know, we can't stop it, we can't protect our people. When the time comes it will be quick and painless.

"We have a few bunkers prepared, but not enough to house even a single percent of the population, not just in terms of space, but we don't have the supplies. The only people who will be saved are a few scientists who have managed to crack the cloning puzzle. A few of our best treasures have been stored.

"I hope you have better luck with your world than I have with mine"

Days he had, mere days.

Dumbledore, Dumbledore would help him, Dumbledore would know what to do, why the hell didn't Dumbledore know this was happening Dumbledore always knew. Damn Dumbledore. Damn Muggles.

Lucius, Remy, god he had to see them, he had to tell them.

No must go to Dumbledore now.

"Severus? We'll be wiped out, we're as badly prepared as they are, our land will be decimated, the air will be thick with caustic ash. There's no way that they can be made to see sense? We can't just go and polyjuice someone? Wizmagot would approve, I know we are all told not to, but this is a matter of life or complete decimation."

"We - we can't, Albus we warded them too well, it was part of the deal remember. Unless one backs down, that's it."

It sounded so final, the words just hung in the silence, neither willing to hear them, to think them, but both too realistic, practical to ignore them.

"Severus, we can shield the grounds, we can protect the school, put it in a bubble, and we can recycle the air, filter it, and water… How long would it have to be like this though, with all the students, with all the villagers we could last a month maximum."

"We're talking centuries Albus, centuries."

There was an uncomfortable silence as they both sat slumped in their chairs, Severus with his fingers twined together, and Albus with his fingers clenched white against the chair arm.

"We can send the students into stasis, shut them down completely, in fact we could shut everyone down into stasis, but we'd need a few to stay awake… We'll need supplies, to last until we are self sufficient. We'll need to get everyone here, make sure no-one's left out there. I could… do my thing…"

"How can we get word to everyone?"

"Not my problem Albus, just make sure everyone is here by tomorrow morning, we'll need to change the school around again. Change the parameters, gods, we'll have to take the wards out to the edges of the forbidden forest, we can't leave them out to die. Not again Albus. It won't happen this time, we won't let it, and I won't let it.

"Albus – it'd be difficult enough with a month, but two days, drop the wards round the school, let people apparate in, I don't trust them not to kick off the proceedings a couple of hours early, and I don't want people dying just outside the school.

"Just make sure they arrive soon, tell them to get here now, I'll make sure I get the stuff, just make sure, even if they are the first I don't care. Don't tell the students what's happening in the Muggle world; just tell them it's a practice run. If we get through this – when we get through this, we don't want them to be like Tom.

"Tom and the others will be invited Albus, promise me. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Just make sure you do your part, and I'll do mine. Don't start on the stasis without me though; I want to make sure that it's strong enough to last the time."

"Severus, just come back, we'll need you. They need you"

Severus had never been any good at small things with magic, which was why other than when he dueled or fought, he didn't use his wand. Transfiguring a stick into a matchstick when he had matches seemed stupid, and he couldn't tone down the amount of magic he put into it the thing would invariably explode under the pressure of magic, so he just didn't bother. When he fought he didn't need to tone it down. If he'd been asked to turn a splinter into a forest he could, not that there would be much point, it would look like a forest, smell like a forest but it was still a splinter.

What he excelled in when he was allowed was moving things and shrinking them. He could take a village and shrink it down to the size of a matchbox, and then enlarge it back into its original form. He could manipulate buildings; make them bigger on the outside than they were on the inside, or vice versa. He could do it with non humanoids inside, and they'd be fine, just sent into stasis until enlarged, but humanoids when in a building he'd shrunk, well they never woke up. People weren't meant to be minimized. They knew how big they were, whilst non humanoids just accepted the new reality.

He was skirting round the forest, laying the new route for the wards, setting up barriers to stop the creatures leaving but not entering. So much to think about, the lake and mountains surrounding it needed to be protected, to house the creatures they could get to come. The ethics behind keeping them aware or sending them into stasis. Keep them aware and they could be used for ingredients, for meat, keep them in stasis and not worry about the territorial fighting. Perhaps some to be kept aware and some in stasis. He'd have to discuss it with the others.

Every time he stopped to think he considered something new, something else to worry about, something else to consider and figure out. Stasis – he'd have to stay awake through it, someone would have to wake them up, and there was no proof that if they all went into stasis that they'd wake up again. Hell he doubted that they could all go into stasis, everything stopped, the aging process, bodily functions, life, magic, and if he stopped then the others would wake. Fuck.

He'd finally finished mapping out the surroundings, complete with grazes, nettle stings, bite marks and heavy breathing from scrambling. But it would all have to wait, for now he had to work on shutting things down, he'd start with the important places first, the shops mainly, and the ministry, but he'd have to slip back and just check, just check that they were there. He couldn't set off if they weren't how could he. No he'd just slip back in, find them and go again.

Apparating into Hogwarts was easy enough, it took effort and energy, and a lot of it, so he could do it, probably one of the only reasons he remained there. The challenge of it.

It didn't take long to see that they weren't in his rooms, nor were they in the great hall, nor in the headmasters study, in fact he was getting quite anxious when he finally ran into Albus.

"Lucius is with Draco, Remus and Sirius are with Harry, they were the first to arrive. You'll be glad to know Voldemort has arrived as well, though he has been quarantined into the chamber of secrets, and not just for the safety of all, but he looks ill Severus. Like he has some wasting disease. Anyway the rest of that ilk are with him. The Ministry is clear, Diagon Ally is also clear, Knockturn is, well mostly empty, I think some of the occupants are trying to hide things, so you might want to shout before you do your thing.

"Hogsmeade isn't ready yet, but hopefully they will be by tomorrow, they are helping out with the influx of people. Your family though isn't responding to owls or floo calls, you might want to investigate. Narcissa Black has sent word that there are problems moving people from St Mungo's, and some of the smaller field hospitals are also suffering from the same problem.

"Student's families are all coming over, but soon Severus you'll have to make some more room, and, well, Europe, the schools, the communities, well, they are all doing the same, but, they don't have the same kind of power behind them that we do. I'm afraid that we'll lose them.

"Some of our more powerful allies have gone to assist in the moving of people, and the Knight Bus is working hard-"

"Albus, as soon as they get back, no one leaves, no one after 7am tomorrow morning. Not a single person, anyone I can't get here we'll mourn, but we can not go chasing after people." With that he left again.

The Ministry took a while, it was so complex that if he hadn't been on a strict time scale he would have enjoyed, but instead could only feel himself getting more and more wound up as the seemingly simple building kept twisting in his grasp. Eventually, after threatening to break it in his grip he had it in his pocket, safe and sound.

Next stop the shops, this was easier, while there were more, they were straightforward buildings, and shrank without too much fuss. He always found it surprising that after he removed a building or a street, what was left was green grass and gentle hills. To the point he was often reluctant to ruin them by placing the wizard made monstrosities back again.

Knockturn Ally was a bit of an issue, it twisted and turned, and there was the odd goblin left inside some shops. He was starting to feel like it was all his fault; the way they glared at him, as if he was the invader, instead of the person trying to save it all.

What took an hour though was Gringotts. It went on for miles, and by the time he was finished he was suffering from a migraine and could have easily done with five hours sleep. But already it was growing dark, and he still had to get St Mungo's sorted, and well, he was going to steal a few things from the Muggle world. The British Library being one of them.

St Mungo's was in chaos. The floo needed sweeping after the amount of traffic in the last few hours, but none of them had the faintest idea how to, and the sweeps were all safely ensconced at Hogwarts. The bed bound patients were bewildered by the noises, and the Mediwizards were at the end of their tethers.

The wards with terminally ill patients Severus decided would not make it, and nor would it be fair to them or anyone else. Critically ill, well they still had a day, and there was nothing stopping him discretely disposing of them if needs be. The rest could be sent through the floo if someone worked out how to clean it. Damn the sweeps.

The problem was solved when a student, desperate to get out, blasted his neighbour's owl up the chimney. It killed the owl but cleared the floo, and after that whenever it got a bit tight another bird was sent up. It didn't take too long for the occupants who were in with a chance to leave the building, where a swift eternus somnus1 sent those who had remained into a peaceful sleep into the loving arms of death itself. Sick as he knew it was, it was a prime opportunity to harvest much needed ingredients, and well, no one would really know. He would have received them in normal circumstances anyway. Just a little later than this, and not as well preserved. Not like anyone would challenge him on it now.

The British Library had been relatively easy to steal, a disillusionment charm, a shrinking spell and a mirage, the staff wouldn't be in anyway, the place would be closed until the New Year, and well, no one would see the New Year in. This was his reasoning behind stealing the art gallery as well, and slipping over to France, Notre Dame he believed to be one of his most favorite places to visit, having spent many days off just sitting under the roof. Staring up in wonderment. He couldn't really excuse stealing the Louvre other than it had been a good idea, and well, he had been running short on time, but it was here and he liked it. But he believed his best find, his best steal had been that of a warehouse, it had been jammed packed full of books, thousands of different books, lots of Muggle things as well, things he would no doubt find completely useless after the power went out, but the books were a find.

By the time he returned to Hogwarts his pockets were overflowing. With bits of different places sticking out at odd angles. He looked as if he'd raided a model town and stolen the attractions. Albus however wasn't best please at the sight of a pyramid, and the blush on Severus' cheeks as he spotted what looked like a tiny chocolate manufacturers.

"Been busy? Severus I haven't time for this. Charlie arrived with a herd of dragons, or whatever you call a lot of them; he's got them in the nest site up behind the Astronomy tower. Beauxbaton's have arrived, Durmstrang are busy arriving as we speak."

"Well it's a Wing, a Wing of Dragons, though if you read certain Muggle books you'll find other names for them. Regarding the occupants of the school, you need to separate the werepeople from the full wizards. They can not be put under; they'll never make it through the transformation. At the same time, you need to separate a few of the people we will need to remain aware. Preferably a few medistaff, Poppy not included, she won't have the experience, nor does she have the personality for the task. Molly Weasley needs to remain aware, as does Charlie, the twins do not, they must be kept in the room for those under stasis and Wonder Boy must also remain in that room, as do you Albus. In fact all staff must remain in that room. The only exception is Hagrid. Send him to clear some space on the meadow at the back.

"When you bring the relevant people to my rooms please bring along with you Arthur Weasley, the Were creatures can be placed within the room of requirement, just keep them calm until I can see to them. Also make sure Filch stays within the main hall. We don't need him disturbing things do we…"

"We have twelve hours now Severus, twelve hours before we can do no more. What's the next stage?"

"Next stage is I go steal some farms, we'll need something to feed the dragons, unless you want to throw students at them. There are a few big cattle ranches I can just remove, and some flocks of sheep. Let me know how many Werepeople there are, also could you put these somewhere?" the toy town he'd collected was gently placed on a desk top, before being deposited in a drawer and locked until a more suitable time.

"See you in a little while, I should be gone an hour tops, by that point I want people in location. That'll leave us with eleven hours."

So that was how he found himself on a cattle ranch in the middle of the USA, explaining to a confused owner why he and his staff were going to find themselves in Scotland, with their entire ranch shrunk, and would be helping him look after it.

If Severus had been honest he would have admitted the agreement from all involved hadn't been made with all of the agreed fully understanding what was actually going on. If he was brutally honest he would have admitted that he had just taken advantage of them and made them agree to something believing they were talking to a random madman. However he had gotten the agreement, and they were in location.

The next ranch he just stole the cattle and shrank it, and with the next twenty. It was easier that way. He needed a herd that would establish themselves, that could be milked, and that would breed. While the other herd's he'd removed would stay happily in shrunken stasis, and every time a dragon needed feeding he'd enlarge them and toss them to the dragons. A little like feeding frozen mice to snakes, just on a larger scale.

A similar practice went on with the sheep, a whole farm, along with hands and owner was transported – people separately- back to the school, and then he went to fill his pockets full of sheep. Then a few herds of goats, a some ducks, a few gaggles of geese lots of hens, they'd need eggs, some pigs, though there were some wild boars within the Forbidden Forest, but those were bigger than the average boar.

He then raided several nurseries, before hitting on an orchard. This led him onto others, and more Muggles to work them, and then vineyards. To the point where by the time he returned to Hogwarts they had eight hours left instead of eleven. And a very frantic Albus.

"You were four hours, you said one. More and more muggles keep turni- Where the hell are you going now?"

"PM's calling, it has to be important – I'll be back ASAP, keep everyone here now, no one leaves, I'll be quick I promise Albus"

"Professor Snape, Severus, they are giving us three hours to get to shelter, in two hours fifty minutes they will announce to the world that they are going to blow us all to hell. You need to save a town, just one, a city if possible, but please, you said you could save your people, save ours as well, save a town a city and give us the chance you will have. Please. Any of them, just save one. I'm begging you"

A small nod and the disappearing back was the only answer he received, but at this point there was no time for needless answers, for wasted words. He'd seen it in the others eyes as he'd asked, he would do his best, and that was all anyone could hope for. Within three hours the end of the world would come, for most if not all.

Wiping the small tears from the corners of his eyes, the Prime Minister, dismissed all staff and sent them home to their loved ones, before leaving for his own family. In two hours forty two minutes, after the announcement, he would make his own broadcast, and then it would all be over.

London was an obvious choice, but impossible. Birmingham ditto, Manchester was an option, York was out, Lichfield but that would be cheating, it was tiny, Manchester or Edinburgh. No not Manchester, same reason as London it was too all encompassing. Edinburgh or Glasgow, heads or tails. Edinburgh was more up market, full of students. No, just stick a pin in a map and the lucky place got to exist.

Stafford, central, a large enough population, easy enough to keep from becoming inbred, the location wasn't too sprawling. So he just ripped it up out of the earth, leaving a massive crater, and by this point he didn't care that the Muggles would be alarmed. He'd cast sopor2 and then immobilisme3 sending the whole place into stasis, before dumping it in the between space between the Muggle Scotland and the Wizarding locale. It would take the rest of the time to just skirt round the new area, setting up the new wards, extending the bubble. Casting accelero4 upon himself, he skirted round the new area, using up immense amounts of magic until he felt quite light headed, it had done one thing, it had given him a just reason to open up the area further, no longer did he have to relocate Hogsmeade, and the land between the Muggle town and the school, was more than enough for the rotation of crops, of herds and flocks. There was even enough to build a Wizarding town, well, enlarge a Wizarding town instead of keeping it toy size in a drawer.

The accelero had given him twenty minutes spare, after raising the wards completely effectively keeping everything of the outside world out. There was one more giant task left though, to put most of the school under the stasis charm. To do it before they realized the truth, before they started to panic.

By the time he was heading into the school, he was lagging, not even the hastening spell could make him walk at anything faster than a snails pace, and he was lagging, badly lagging. For all his talk of how he enjoyed expending great amounts of power, he still didn't have the reserves for this, not even at the end of the summer term would he have had. All that had carried him this far was adrenaline. And he'd forgotten one very important place.

Latching onto the first person he saw he kissed them hard, drinking in their power from their life essence, before dropping them and apparating out. He had ten minutes, ten minutes to grab Tintagel and get back to school. He should have gone their first, without Tintagel, without the people within it; there would never be any hope for the world.

Five minutes to blast it out of the ground, going into the depths of the sea before apparating back, closing the bubble back up and collapsing.

Lucius had seen his lover stagger in, his body dripping with fatigue before paling, whiter than a ghost, and half turning. What had happened next had been unexpected, as his normally reticent lover grabbed what looked like a Hufflepuff Werecat, kiss them senseless, pinken back up, leaving the student whom he was sure should have been somewhere else, half dead on the steps, with no Severus in sight.

Then eight minutes later, having not moved from the entrance other than to waken the cat and send them to the others, watched as a huge lump of rock slammed into the grounds, and his Severus fall to the floor and stay down, now a grey colour. Within seconds he was by his side, pressing their lips together, feeding him magic into the drained body, but as much as he was feeding, the only change to the body beneath him was heat returning to the cold body. And Albus Dumbledore miraculously appearing by his side, after he was sure he had been told to stay within the great hall.

"Lucius, you need to make sure that everyone gets to sleep. The whole school needs to go into shut down, no exceptions, everyone, even the people outside, everyone needs to enter the school and sleep. Sleep until Severus has regained some of his reserve. I'll make sure he gets in safely, but everyone must go to sleep. Promise me Lucius. Severus should have sleeping potions; add them to the water that will be served."

"It's a drill, you said it was a drill Albus, so why is he bringing lumps of rock into the grounds, and why has he been completely drained. Voldemort is in the Chamber, and as far as I am aware there is no great threat, so why Albus would Severus be this drained?"

"If we had the time to discuss it I would answer you, but until we have the time, just do as you are bid Lucius Malfoy. Severus will answer your questions for he knows better than I, but will answer them when he is able. He won't be able to until you get the school to sleep. He will wake you when he is recovered."

"As you wish Headmaster" He gave an icy nod and a concerned glance at man still lying on the cold ground before he slipped back into the building, heading straight for the dungeons.

"Something's up"

"Dumbledore's involved, of course there will be Lucius, its part of who he is."

"Thank you for that oh so insightful comment, Black. I mean something is seriously wrong, you didn't see him Remus, and he was drained, completely drained, he's never completely drained…" The words took on a faint wail as the normally restrained blonde clutched at his other lover.

"Remus, Dumbledore's hiding something, he wants us to drug the school until Severus wakes up, and he wants us to leave him alone while he gets better. We won't though will we?"

"He's asleep?"

"More like unconscious"

"He's unconscious, and Albus told you to drug the school and leave him on his own?"

"Yes, but we wont will we?" The blonde had a pleading look in his eyes, only beginning to dissipate when Remus stroked his hands gently, offering him a comforting smile, no, Remus wouldn't leave their love while he was ill, not for the headmaster, not for Lucius, not for anybody.

"Did our esteemed leader have any ideas on how to drug the school, or why he wanted it to be done, or where he was going to leave Sev?"

"Sleeping potions in the meal, he didn't say why he wanted it to be done, just that no one was to be outside, and he said he'd take him to safety which could be any blasted place, I mean it could mean the infirmary, or the chamber – damn did you know Riddle's here? It's like the whole of the wizarding worlds here – or he could have meant the Room of Requirement. God knows where he could have taken Sev, I mean he could have just dumped him in a classroom" The words were starting to take on a frantic tone again, as his fingers clutched tightly at Lupin's.

"Padfoot, dose the juice at the meal, just go to the kitchens and pour it in there, come back in Padfoot form, if you scent Severus come get us, I wouldn't suggest going to the source yourself, not if Albus is looking out for him, you might end up in a whole heap of trouble.

"Lucius love, after they've ingested the potion we'll go find him, but until then you know it's too dangerous with Albus awake. Until he's asleep we don't act, he'll take longer to succumb to the potion than anyone else, so we fake sleep, if needs be we place ourselves on a time release enervate so twenty minutes after we drink it we wake up. I promise we'll find him though, but you're going to have to relax, and don't try tackling Albus about it. Promise me love?"

"If he even smiles at me I can't be to blame for my actions though, and if Sev is hurt you wont be able to stop me going after him, because you know it'll be his fault, it's always bloody Dumbledore hurting Sev –"his angry rant was stopped by a swift kiss, and he found himself held gently by his lover.

"Don't love, just focus on getting through the next hour and we'll sort it all out. Just trust me, ok."

Sirius did as asked, slipping the potions into the juice and the soup that the elves were preparing, making sure that they didn't notice they extra ingredient, before returning to the dungeons, not scenting the old bat anywhere, and keeping in the shadows when he heard the Headmasters voice echoing down the corridor. Over the years he'd picked up a healthy mistrust for the old man.

They made it up to the Great Hall, with Remus gently restraining Lucius, keeping one hand one him at all times, and Sirius sitting to his other side, ready to grab him if he made a move to attack the headmaster, but he behaved himself to the greater extent, muttering while the headmaster spoke, but that was it. They'd agreed to take the potion and that Remus would cast the enervate on himself, and when he woke on the other two.

The first thing he heard when he woke was "vate" which Remus had cast on Black. It was the only thing he heard; the place was as silent as a cemetery. Rubbing at his eyes he sat upright, gazing blearily at the hall, eerily silent with sleeping figures throughout, the place was massive, bigger than ever before, the number of people that lay asleep must have been in the thousands.

Lucius though not fully alert, and a hand still rubbing at his eyes had started stalking towards the old wizard at the head table, his wand already in hand and a malicious look upon his face. His brain hadn't fully woken, and all he could remember was the urge to do painful things to Dumbledore, forgetting why exactly, but knowing there was a good reason. He'd raised his wands and his mouth was open ready to speak the first curse, before he found himself being dragged to the doors by a half annoyed Remus.

"Leave that until later, we're looking for Sev now, remember?"

"Severus, damnit we could torture the old man into telling us where he took him"

"You're starting to believe the hype about yourself, you don't do that, and we have two noses suitable for seeking our mate, we don't need the words of someone who'll lie to us and then no doubt capture us as soon as our back is turned and do something heinous to Sev. My guess is it's nowhere near where we have been, so we start by the Albus' rooms, agreed?" With the nods from either side they set off.

They searched from top to bottom, going through each classroom, each corridor, waiting for an elusive sniff of potions master, but there was no fresh scent other than that around the Hufflepuff he'd drunk from, and the front entrance.

"Maybe he's not inside? I haven't scented him anywhere but the entrance, and that was when you saw him love."

"Hagrid's hut?"

"Worth a shot, other than that we start searching the grounds,"

Though they didn't race, they walked significantly faster than normal, and the look of relief on Remus' face alerted Lucius to Severus' whereabouts. It was then that they broke into a run, bursting through the door to find the slender man laid out on the huge bed, covered by a shaggy bearskin, fast asleep. Neither of his lovers could help crawling onto the bed and touching him, kissing him, checking he was fine, and feeding their energy into him when they found him dangerously low. Even Sirius was allowed to do so, though there were soft growls from Remus at the kissing. He'd always been more possessive of the three.

The sleeping potion was still affecting them, keeping them lethargic and craving sleep, not the deep sleep of before but the need to nap, and soon all three were curled up like puppies surrounding their mate. While they slept they missed the faint thunderclaps in the distance, they missed the sky turning black and they missed when the sky turned from black to grey. The war outside the school had started and ended.

Author note again: Although there is a strong anti Dumbledore feel throughout this though more so in later chapters, he does pretty much run the wizarding world through one scheme or another, and does seem to be omniscient, which was why Severus went to him when he was in trouble. He is perhaps the only character who could have organized a full evacuation of the wizarding world. Well that's my excuse anyway.

1: Eternal Sleep

2: Deep Sleep

3: Immobilise

4: Accelerate