I do not own anything from the harry potter universe, unfortunately.

"Normal Talking"

'Thoughts'

"Parseltongue"


An atomic bomb is a weapon of mass destruction that can eradicate an entire city with a single strike and a country if fired with extreme prejudice. Wizards and Witches of Europe could not comprehend the concept. How could simple muggles create such powerful weapons without magic? Tom Riddle in his arrogance and power lust forgot that the statute of secrecy was not in place to protect the muggles from magic it was to protect magic from the muggles.

When the monster revealed the world of magic to muggles all hell broke loose. Militaries mobilized to combat this new enemy, some countries were already tied with their magical communities such as America and Japan. Others were not like the majority of Europe. But even then the reveal of these hidden societies tore countries apart it was the witch trials all over again but this time it was much bloodier.

When the first nuke was launched and leveled a hidden city in Russia that was the spark. Wizards and Witches realized just how outmatched they were in warfare with muggles. The battles lasted for days spells and bullets flew in equal fury. But for every Avada Kedavra or Piercing hex or blasting curse that killed a muggle or two or three, a missile or an air strike from an AC-130 would level entire wizarding villages.

That's when China started launching its nukes and so did Russia and when they did the other countries responded. The MAD, the Mutual Assured Destruction of the world. When the dust cleared there was nothing but rubble left and a handful of survivors in any country.

One of those survivors was making his way through the ruined streets of London now. Ten years had passed and the once beautiful city was nothing but rubble. a few structures remained standing as surrounding buildings took the brunt of the blast.

You would think that it would be dangerous to return here due to the radiation but as it turns out the radiation from bombs didn't last that long and would dissipate in a week. Although London was still a dangerous place but for different reasons.

Our survivor though had different things on his mind while the sun was high in the sky. It had snowed recently and during his time outside he caught sight of something very promising. Tracks, tracks belonging to a group of cloven-hooved animals. He had been following them for about an hour now and they were fairly fresh. He got even more excited when he found droppings in the snow that still had whisps of heat from the cold air around them showing just how fresh it was.

Doing his best to keep his footsteps as quiet as he could he rounded the corner to a wide street with only a few cars covered by the white powder. The survivor grinned as he looked down and saw a group of at least a dozen deer there were two males from the looks of it with the rest being female with three fawns. Making sure he wasn't seen he inched his way closer finding cover behind one of the cars.

It would seem that the herd was looking for shelter or food. The survivor slid a rifle over his shoulder. It was on an older model Karabiner 98k but he kept it in good working condition. He rose to place his rifle on the car to give him more stability as he opened the scope and took aim. He would aim for one of the outlying females. Taking out the males could be dangerous as that would leave them with only one male and if anything happened to that male then the herd would die out without the ability to procreate.

So with that in mind, he took his aim and took in a breath as everything became still for him. Then he squeezed and the silence was broken with a thunderous bang accompanied by a flash from the muzzle. His aim was true as the deer he hit went down after a quick spasm while the rest ran.

The Survivor stood there for a moment as he watched the herd disappear down an alley and he began to move towards his kill. It was dead, a clean kill. He kneeled and took off his hood and lowered the mask around his face revealing wild long black hair and vibrant emerald eyes and a faded bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the man-who-failed. Failed everyone, his friends and his love. And why, because he was ill-prepared and ill-informed about anything. That blasted old idiot kept so many damned secrets and only shared barely an inkling of anything when he was dying he might as well as kept his mouth shut.

Though he did kill Voldemort it was already too late the damage was done. So here Harry was kneeling next to his prey surviving alone in the broken shell of a city.

Shaking his head he gripped the back legs of the animal and began dragging it away. This was a good haul enough red meat to last him a few weeks at least. He had a pretty good setup already but he wasn't going to let an opportunity pass by.

He wouldn't be skinning the kill out here thought, the noise from his shot might've stirred some sleeping things and while the sun might be high for now he'd rather not chance it. Moving through the streets he took in the sights he had already gotten so used to.

The broken buildings that once towered into the sky now lay in waste some of which collapsed into nothing more than a pile of debris and dust. This street was miraculously in decent enough condition all things considered. From what he could tell the big buildings on one side had taken the brunt of the damage leaving the smaller building shaken and torn but still standing.

Harry had already cleaned most of these places out already if not all of them. Anything that could be used he took, medicines preserved foods anything. He walked, the only thing making sounds in this place being the crunching snow beneath his feet and the gentle if a bit ominous winds that whispered through the broken city.

After walking for a few blocks Harry saw an orange flag standing among the rubble. Looking up at the sky the sun had moved further down from its position and he nodded to himself. Not stopping to clean his kill was the right decision as he would be coming home when the sun was too low for comfort. He made his way toward the pile of debris and to anyone who looked it would appear that he just walked through the rubble as if it was water. Harry when he stepped through saw a makeshift path that lead to his door. The door was made of stone with a ring that was filled with a circle of runes. Freeing his hands he pressed a series of runes and they flashed dully for a moment a sound like a latch being lifted was heard and Harry pulled the door open with a rope handle.

Dragging his kill in he closed the door and was met with a matching ring of runes this time pressing down on a different set then that same latch sound was heard and the door was sealed. Taking in a breath he shrugged off his heavy coat and tossed it on a rack then he untied his winter boots and placed them next to the same rack.

He took a moment to take in a breath and looked down at the deer, it thankfully had bled out mostly during the trip over here. That was good, which means it wouldn't make too much of a mess. Taking his rifle he placed it in an umbrella holder barrel down and made sure the safety was on. He then unlatch a holster that was on his leg which held a Model 629 Smith and Wesson 44 magnum. He placed that next to his boots and finally reached up his sleeve and undid the straps of his wand holster and when he did he drew his wand.

Well, not his wand, it had once belonged to Hermione when she was alive. Harry caressed the magical tool affectionately before he did a quick swish and levitated the carcass up off the floor. Walking down the short hall it opened up to a decent-sized open room. To describe it would be organized chaos. Nothing matched, everything seemed thrown together. A table with miss matching chairs. Off colored rugs on the ground, some were normal others were animal pelts.

There was an area in the corner of the room with some bookshelves that didn't go higher than a person's hip with pair of plush reading chairs and blankets and a makeshift fireplace made of iron with a vent shaft going to the ceiling that stood only ten feet tall off the ground. Then in an opposite corner, there was something that could be called a kitchen.

A dented fridge with a single long shelf that was meant for books but was now repurposed as a counter and kitchen storage which displayed different pots and pans. And on top of the counter were two camp cookers set up as a makeshift stove and a small oven placed in the space next to the cookers.

Harry took his kill over to the kitchen area and set it down on the table before summoning a pair of knives and guiding them to begin cutting and skinning the carcass. Once he did he opened the fridge revealing that it was bigger on the inside thanks to some extension charms. On one side was a line of shelves stocked with some foods and fruits that all had preservations charms to ensure they didn't spoil on him. On the other side canned goods and some meat items such as a package of bacon and some eggs.

And straight down the middle was a circle rack that could be spun and on it held a few bits of meats that had labels telling Harry which was the oldest and when he got them. The middle rack was pretty sparse so this deer would be a welcomed addition. rotating it a bit he picked out a few empty meat hooks and grabbed their labels, and with a quick swish of his wand, the labels went blank and then were refilled with the words Venison: October 31, 2006.

Once the label was made he turned the knives were finished with their jobs and just floated now so he cleaned them and returned them to the knife block. He then summoned a larger butcher's knife and set it to the task of cutting the carcass down in sections. He then summoned the pelt and cleaned it off before rolling it up.

Taking the pelt he left the kitchen and walked to the other side of the room opening a door next to the reading area which lead to a split hallway. He took the left venture and that opened up to a sort of storage room where he kept everything he wasn't immediately in need of. On one side were just things such as extra clothes some cleaned animal pelts ready to use if necessary and other smaller things. At the back was a tanning frame where he would set the hide and go about tanning it.

Luckily Hermione had read about certain charms used by wizards to tan hides back at Hogwarts which she thought was barbaric at the time but it really came in handy now.

Then on the opposite side was a space that was fenced off with a net frame and on the other side was a family of chickens. Yeah, that was something. After the war, Hermione and Harry lucked out by staying at a farm for a few weeks and before they moved on they found some chickens and took a pair. A Hen and a Rooster, It wasn't long before that pair began laying eggs, and eventually they had a decent-sized chicken family.

A good food source though Hermione and Harry both had trouble eating them so they made sure only to kill the old ones or the ones that were who couldn't lay eggs so well. It might have seemed heartless but they needed to survive and this made sure they didn't proliferate out of control.

Harry looked over and saw that the chickens, who numbered thirteen with two roosters, were asleep. There was a middle wall separating the chickens and the roosters to make sure that they didn't overbreed. Making sure everyone seemed okay Harry then took the pelt to the back and with a few waves of his wand the pelt was tied up and prepared for tanning.

However Harry just turned and walked back out, the carcass would be finished being cut up by now. Returning to the kitchen the cleaver was floating in the air and Harry cleaned it and put it back. He then took a look and saw that everything was cut off in serving sizes. He flicked his wand and the meat stored itself before he closed the fridge. With a few more waves of his wand, the table was cleaned of blood and hair as was the floor.

Returning to the door that led to the split hallway this time Harry went right and was greeted with a bedroom. Similar to the main room it was decorated with miss matching furniture with a large wardrobe for clothing and dresser on one side and a Queen sized bed on the other. The floor like the main room was covered with soft rugs and pelts and off in the corner was a glass box with a wide shower head and exposed pipes that reached the ceiling. It was a homemade shower and Harry was needing a bit of a rinse after today.

He was in the process of taking off his shirt before he suddenly heard a whirring sound. It was like an alarm but low-pitched and Harry knew what it was. Forgetting his shower he rushed back to the main room and looked at the wall next to the entrance on the wall was a map of the area he lived. It was roughly drawn but it functioned similarly to his old Mauraders map in that it showed whenever someone was around. Two dots showed up and they appeared to be going in and out of buildings probably looking for supplies.

Not that they would find anything, Harry had already cleared them all out. Whoever they were, they were casting as the dots on the map were pulsing every so often. And just like that, he saw a few more dots begin to appear and He cursed. These dots were on a single building at the far end of the street. They were moving rapidly overlapping each other but they weren't leaving the building just yet.

He mentally cursed, whoever these people were, they were rilling up the nest which is going to be a problem for him. Rushing he quickly donned his boots and his coat. He could bring his rifle but instead opted just for his wand and revolver and when he finished he opened the door with a series of runes before closing it on the other side in the same method.

Harry had long ago memorized this street and every building, he knew that the dots were in the old food market. Looking up he saw that the sun was dipping further in the sky. He needed to move fast so he took off in a sprint and quickly came up to the store. The windows were shattered and part of the front had caved in but like the others on this side, they were at least partly protected from the force of the initial blasts.

Going in quietly he looked around and easily spotted the footprints in the snow and dust. Drawing his revolver he stalked forward following the footprints that were leading to the far back of the store. It didn't take him long to hear a pair of voices. Female voices with British accents told him that these weren't some far-off travelers.

"Accio medicine." One voice and Harry knew nothing would happen. He had already gathered the medicine from the pharmacy but that wasn't even in this store anyway.

"Is there anything more specific you can try?" another different voice asked and he could hear an annoyed huff from the first.

"I don't bloody know! I don't know muggle medicine!" The woman said with a very clear distressed tone. Harry looked over and saw they were dressed in heavy coats like he was but they were facing away from him so he couldn't see their faces. One of them raise her wand prepared to cast again but Harry stepped out and pulled the hammer back on his gun.

"Don't!" He exclaimed, his voice hoarse and gravelly from lack of use. He didn't have anyone to talk to anymore but it still surprised him somewhat. The two women froze and Harry saw the other try to discreetly draw her own wand.

"Don't even think about it, hands up." He said his voice struggling to make the words. He could hear the woman curse as she raised her hands as did the other the wand she already held pointed up. "Turn around." He ordered, he might've jumped the gun a bit but their casting was riling up the nest and he panicked a bit. When they did the woman with the wand in her hand he recognized.

He couldn't forget her even if he wanted to, that upturned nose those dark brown eyes. That face that had so often offered him only a sneer or a glare. That mouth which had said so many insults to him. This was the face of a bully he had known. A gasp escaped him, his breath shaky as he dropped his gun hand.

"Pansy?" He asked pulling his hood back. Pansy's eyes widened and almost immediately began to water. They were enemies both before and after Hogwarts. So why did their meeting here feel so charged, why were they both so relieved? It was rather simple, for both of them it was familiarity, even if it was not full of fond memories. They were each proof to the other that life before this hell existed, the life that got harder and harder to remember as time went on.

"Harry?" Pansy asked but she knew, his hair might be longer he might've grown a beard but those eyes. Those bright emerald eyes that she found so gorgeous even back at Hogwarts were unmistakable. Before she could think she suddenly surged forward and Harry met her as they embraced. The relief she felt seeing him, the sudden slew of memories that erupted to the surface of her mind.

She couldn't explain it, neither of them could. Harry should've shot her, Pansy should've cursed him or at least tried. But they didn't they held each other. As if reassuring themselves that they were real.

"You're alive... I can't believe you're alive!" Pansy gasped out touching his face and examining him.

"Same here," Harry said grabbing her hands with his own.

"What happened to your voice... what happened to you?" Pansy asked and Harry went about clearing his throat the best he could.

"Just haven't needed to talk in a while," Harry explained and looked to the other woman. He was greeted with electric blue eyes and vibrant blonde hair. He recognized the girl but for the life of him couldn't remember her name but he knew her.

"I know you." He said voicing his thoughts.

"I'm flattered, really, but we need help." The woman said and Pansy nodded.

"Right, Harry we have a friend she's sick and it's getting worse," Pansy said and Harry nodded.

"You need medicine right? That's what you were trying to summon with... your..." Harry mumbled as he remembered the whole reason he came out here in the first place. "Wait there's no time, we need to go now!" Harry said quickly looking out the door in a panic.

"What it is?" The blonde woman asked, He wished he remembered her name.

"Your spells, your magic is stirring up the nest," Harry said.

"Nest? What nest?" The woman pressed but Harry shook his head.

"Not important where is your friend?"

"We had to leave her at a pub nearby. Just down the road." Harry cursed, he knew the pub Pansy was talking about, it was a few blocks past the nest.

"Shit, okay c'mon," Harry said rushing out of the store followed closely by Pansy and her friends. The sun was still high enough that if he sprinted he should be able to make it back.

"Look if your go down the road that way look for a pile of rubble with an orange flag sticking out of it. You'll only see it if you know it's there, then walk straight past it. There will be a door and on the door will be some runes. You know runes right?" Harry asked Pansy and some slight panic came to her eyes. Runes were never her best subject back in school.

"I do." the blonde woman said and Harry nodded turning to her.

"It's simple just press a sequence of runes that would spell out 'Open' okay? You can get in then." the blonde nodded.

"Harry, what are you going to do?"

"I'll go and get your friend."

"But we left our supplies too!" Pansy said.

"There's no time I'll get your friend you two need to get to my place now!" Harry yelled out and didn't wait as he took off running down the street. Pansy looked like she was going to follow him but the Blonde held her back and began dragging her the way Harry pointed them to go.

Harry looked over to his left where the destroyed buildings were. While they were busted down they were still high enough that the sun didn't need to go all that low in order for the street to be shadowed. He had maybe thirty minutes tops. Although luckily this new broken world he lived in didn't leave a lot of chances to be lazy so running for his life was something Harry was familiar with.

He sprinted his steps heavily in the snow contrasting greatly with how early he was trying to be quiet and now he couldn't care less. He couldn't afford to be quiet and slow right now. He then passed a rather ominous ruin of a building and from it, he could hear it. What sounded like the cries of bats mixed with the horrid laugh of hyenas.

He didn't look he didn't need to, he knew what was in there in the bowels of that ruined structure. If anything he pushed himself harder finally reaching the pub that Pansy was talking about. A sign lay shattered against the ground and the windows were blown out but the structure remained standing amazingly enough.

He entered and began to look around but he didn't have to look long as he spotted a person on the pool table in what Harry recognized was a sleeping bag and was stuffed with blankets. He rushed over noting briefly the presence of the supplies Pansy talked about which were just two wagons with some suitcases.

He didn't bother with it though as he came up to the person and his eyes widened once he saw who it was. Her face was pale and her cheeks were slightly sunken but he couldn't forget this face.

Narcissa Malfoy, mother of his archnemisis Draco Malfoy. A woman he's never had any real interaction with but remembered nonetheless through Draco. He looked around and the wagons were not big enough to fit her so reluctantly he brandished his wand and cast a featherweight charm on Narcissa and everything around her. He then quickly scooped her up and the charm did its work making her as light as a feather.

"Sorry Missus Malfoy, but this is not going to be pleasant." He mumbled and Narcissa appeared to stir at his voice but Harry didn't pay attention as he rushed out of the pub. Narcissa cradled in his arms, not wasting even a second he took off running though even with the featherweight charm it was still awkward to run with her in his arms like this.

But he couldn't stop, he couldn't afford to. He ran and as he did he passed by that same building again only this time something came out, a blur of motion and an inhuman screech as it slammed against a car on its way out. Harry didn't stop he didn't look as the thing screamed in pain and the sound of sizzling was heard. Harry glanced down and made sure to move more to the left to stay in the light.

But even so, the shadows were creeping across. the sun wasn't set just yet but the buildings that remained were just tall enough to provide protection from the dipping sun which was bad news for Harry.

He heard more cries and screams and the sudden thundering sound of charging monsters that began to pursue him. He could hear them and a sudden tingle went through his spine and back knowing that they had their sights set on him. He pushed himself holding Narcissa tighter against his body as he pushed his legs harder trying to go faster.

He heard the sound of creaking metal as the creatures that chased him pounced over cars and broken glass. Only a little further, just a bit. He could make it. The sound of the monsters was accompanied by the blood pumping in his ears as he became more and more fatigued with his constant sprinting. But he couldn't slow down not even a bit.

Just a little bit farther now as he saw the golden rays bathing the street ahead of him where the buildings didn't obscure the sun. Just a few more feet and he felt something graze his back just barely nicking the fabric but not doing any real damage. But it was accompanied by a sudden shrill cry of pain and that same sizzling sound.

Finally, Harry broke from the creatures and reached the sun-bathed section of the streets, and the sound of pursuit came to an abrupt halt and he could hear more painful cries and a sudden suttling sound. Those creatures were too focused on Harry to notice that their sun cover ended and they got burned. He then heard the sound of frustrated stomping and angry screams and screeches. But he paid them no mind, he quickly made his way to his hidden door. He had to adjust Narcissa a bit and tapped the rune sequence to get the door open.

"Help me with her!" He called out His voice coming back to him but still having that hoarse tone to it. The woman and Pansy who were pacing in the room rushed forward to help Harry.

"Watch her head, Daphne," Pansy said as she took Narcissa's legs, and, the now-named Daphne took her torso. Harry then turned and shut the door before sealing it. With that, he finally took a chance to breathe realizing just how exerted he felt as he slipped down to the floor gulping in air.

"Harry are you alright?" Daphne asked and he waved his hand and nodded.

"Yes, though they are going to be on edge for a few days now," Harry said getting up and walking over to the three women.

"What are they?" Pansy asked as Harry kneeled next to Narcissa.

"Vampires, mutated by radiation."

"Vampires? Mutated?" Daphne asked and Harry nodded.

"I'll explain later, but for now what is wrong with Missus Malfoy?" He asked and Narcissa stirred a look of discomfort on her face. Pansy smirked a bit.

"Even like this she still hates being called that." She chuckled softly.

"Called what?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy, she hated everything to do with that man. She just goes by Narcissa now." Pansy explained which surprised Harry but they had other things to focus on now.

"Her symptoms include a high fever, excessive sweating, she was always saying she was cold as well as shortness of breath," Daphne said and placed her fingers on Narcissa's neck.

"Her pulse is also getting weak." Harry nodded.

"Does she have any cuts?" He asked and Daphne nodded.

"Yes on her leg but I bandaged it up."

"How long ago?"

"Maybe a week by now." She answered.

"I need to see it," Harry said and the girls nodded as they unzipped the sleeping bag and took out the blankets revealing Narcissa in comfortable cotton pants and a shirt with the evidence of her unusual sweat on display. Harry Pulled down her pants surprising the other two girls and saw the bandage around her thigh.

Using his wand he quickly banished the gauze to look at the wound.

"Won't that draw the vampires?" Pansy asked worriedly.

"This place is warded, you can perform spells here safely," Harry stated before he looked at the wound and hissed. It was definitely infected by the off-color and the putrid smell.

"That's not good."

"Dammit." Daphne cursed, She knew that this was a problem but they couldn't do anything about it without potions or muggle medicine.

"Blood poisoning," Harry said before pointing over to his kitchen area. "Daphne, there is a clear plastic box over in the lower right cupboard it has a vial of Dittany in it grab it along with a bottle of penicillin they'll both be labeled." He explained and the girl nodded while Harry examined the wound. He would have to do his best to remove some of the rotted flesh before he could apply the Dittany.

"What can I do?" Pansy asked and Harry looked at her and sighed.

"Get her something to bite down on, and hold her hand," Harry said and cast a full body bind on Narcissa to keep her from thrashing. Pansy was confused at first but looked around before summoning a thing soft cover magazine to her and putting it between Narcissa's teeth and then gripping her hand.

Harry then aimed his wand at the wound and as if wielding a scalpel cast a very controlled cutting charm to begin to remove as much rotted flesh as he could. As soon as he did Narcissa's eyes flew open and she went to scream but due to the book and the full body bind, it was greatly muffled.

"I'm sorry just a bit more," Harry said working as quickly but carefully as he could remove the bad flesh and vanishing it until all that was left was a now bleeding but pink and red gash on her leg. Daphne quickly came to his side and handed him the Dittany. Quickly undoing the top he began to apply a few drops. Narcissa still moaned in pain but it eventually closed up well leaving a small pink cut on her thigh, but he couldn't afford to use any more Dittany now. It was nearly impossible to find good potion ingredients nowadays.

"Okay, give her..." He looked at her legs and noticed just how skinny they were, in fact, all the girls looked rather underweight. "Two tablets for now." Daphne nodded and unscrewed the lid and spilled two tablets into her hand before giving them to Narcissa after Harry lifted the bind on her and Pansy removed the magazine.

The group took a moment to collect themselves after that and Harry carried Narcissa to the bedroom and laid her down.

"I'll go ahead and make something for you all. You need to eat." He said and made his way over to the kitchen getting some of the older meat out and a few vegetables a good hearty stew would be just right. Pansy and Daphne stared at him and noticed they could hear some screeching howls coming from outside.

"Harry... what have you been doing all this time?" Pansy asked and Harry sighed as he began to prepare his ingredients.

"Surviving... barely."