Chapter One

While you weren't watching

"-suspicious reports of victims being attacked in broad daylight, as civil unrest seems to-" a woman with a particularly long neck leaned forward quickly and turned down the radio volume.

She gave a long look to her husband and for a moment they seemed to just communicate with their eyebrows. A little wiggle here, a light shrug there, and they understood each other better than most. They didn't dare say anything aloud. For the two children sitting in the backseat, this was a vacation. Perhaps even an early birthday present. A nice holiday, away from the London craziness.

"How is… Marge… doing?" Petunia halting asked. She emphasized and inflexed certain parts as if sharing a big secret. A tad uncertain if she wanted to know the answer.

Her husband, Vernon, sighed with a gust of air. "Pet, she's getting worse. She's gotten a fever now. And her words… they don't make a lick of sense anymore." His massive frame shook with frustration. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. Releasing it as a perplexed look fell over his features. He just had a thought, one he wanted to ask at the train station. "What did he say to you, love?"

"Hmm?" Petunia was distracted. She was staring through the rear view mirror at her son and nephew. "What was that dear?"

"That dark fellow, at the station, what did he tell you?"

Her eyes widened for a moment. "Severus?" At her husband's affirmative nod, she continued. "He said- he gave me a bag to give to the boy. Said he forgot it." She pulled out a palm sized bag from her pocket, and held it out to show her husband. "It's rubbish is what it is, I opened it but there's nothing inside." Despite her own words, she still placed the small pouch in her purse carefully.

"Here we are Pet, we'll have to hurry or we'll miss the plane." He spoke quickly to his wife as he parked the car. They all ran into the airport quickly, eager to make the plane.

Little did they know that after they boarded all other flights were canceled.

Deplaning went quicker then normal, it seemed everyone was in much the same hurry as them. They just bustled by without nary a care. They even managed to trip Harry…twice. It was ludicrous, honestly, no one even bothered to apologize.

And Atlanta just seemed to be the busiest. They waited over 30 minutes just for a taxi. Most of them just sitting there empty with out of service lights across the dash. The family of 4 almost jumped into the car in their excitement to finally leave this horrid heat and hopefully enter the hotel soon.

Vernon sat in the front seat beside the taxi driver. And the man almost refused to take them for that reason alone. Only letting him do so after repeatedly asking if Vernon had been sick recently, or if he had a fever. He actually took his temperature before agreeing. Americans were weird but I guess when you rely on driving people around for money, you cant really afford to get sick.

There was what seemed to be bullet proof glass between the front and the backseat. It was a bit odd that he didn't take the rest of their temperatures. But the couple just shrugged it off as the eccentricity of a taxi man.

Though Dudley was a year younger than Harry, both boys conked off the moment they sat. Otherwise oblivious to the odds and ends of the transportation. Dudley's eleventh birthday would be in a few days. And the boys were happy to celebrate it in America.

They arrived at the hotel after 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic. There seemed to be riots in the streets. People looting everywhere you looked. They made sure to keep the windows up and the doors firmly locked. Petunia had an arm around each child as she worriedly gazed out the window.

Vernon stepped out quickly passing the bell hop a tip along with the room number, and left the young man to the luggage. He rapped his knuckles on his nephews window. "Boy." He huffed for a moment as he continued sleeping. His wife and son already walking into the hotel. While he stood outside in this disgusting heat trying to wake his seemingly lazy nephew. "BOY, GET UP! GET UP!" Though his nephew started to rouse he was doing so, so very slowly. Shaking out the cobwebs. "GET UP BOY, NOW!"

Then his bright emerald eyes just stared at him. As if taking in where he was and who was standing over him. His uncle waited impatiently, feeling the sweat dripping down his forehead and back, getting angrier with each passing moment. Angrier as Harry stretches, wipes his eyes, blinks and finally, as Harry reaches for the handle.

Vernon has had it, he's reached his limit and yanks open the door. He grabbed his foolish nephew and pulled him from the car, into the hotel, up the elevator and to the room. All the while muttering under his breath about lazy children.

Harry stayed in the kitchen area as Vernon pulled open his suitcase and quickly changed his shirt. He whisper/shouted toward his wife as she touched up her make up. "Pet, can you call the hospital and find out what room Marge is in? I want to get there as soon as possible."

She pulled out her phone and after a Google search for Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, found a number. She dialed and told Dudley to eat a sandwich as they'd be leaving soon. She waited for someone to answer but no one did. It just kept ringing.

She tried again.

Vernon turned toward Harry. "We'll be back very soon, we're going to visit my sister. We expect you to behave boy. No funny business. This place is normal, we expect you to act normal." His voice sounding more and more irritated the longer he spoke. He cut himself off with a huff and peered at his wife.

"I can't get through Vernon, the line just keeps ringing."

"They must be busy love, we'll keep trying as we go. Best be off." He paused and stared at the boy, then at his wife. The child clearly heard nothing from his mouth. He peered at Petunia and nodded his head toward the frozen child. They both paused and looked at him.

His wife calmly pulled Dudley to her side and snapped fingers in front of her nephews eyes.

His eyes lost their trancelike stare and he wet his lips quickly. Blinking his eyes just as rapidly. "Yes?" He asked questioningly and followed up with a, "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon." As if just realizing their presence and honestly he probably just did. He's been so lost in thought since they'd picked him up at the train station. And even doubly so before they had left the house.

The man could feel his patience waning. "Did you hear nothing boy?" He practically spit with how annoyed he was. It was like talking to a wall.

The child, as if sensing his anger, hurriedly replied, "I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon, I was distracted."

Petunia clicked her teeth in annoyance and responded, "Don't mind the boy Vernon, he's just like his mother. She always did have her head in the clouds." Petunia spoke quietly. "It's actually one of the things that I miss the most. She always had a lot going on in her head. Mum used to call her Lily pad because she jumped from one thought to the next, so quickly like a frog jumping."

Vernon stopped his internal tirade and took a deep breath, before glancing back at his nephew. "Your aunt, cousin and I are leaving. Don't leave the room. Don't answer the door. Empty the suitcases into the drawers. If you can do that and not ruin anything, we might bring you back some leftovers." He spoke the last bit jokingly but it fell a little flat.

He coughed a little at the awkward air and made his way to the door. Petunia and Dudley lagged a bit behind, and caught up at the lift. All the while she kept calling.

While leaving the hotel the adults prayed for good fortune, that another taxi would be kind enough to do their jobs. They continued hoping, the further they walked from the hotel the less hopeful they became. The streets getting more and more packed as they went. Everyone seemed to be rushing.

And all the while Petunia continued calling. Dial tone after dial tone. Until eventually someone answered. Screams filled the background noise as a single voice spoke through the receiver. "Only the dead are here now, may God be with us all." A deafening bang was heard and the line went dead.

Petunia froze in horror. Her mind not comprehending. People continued to rush around her, and then more bangs were heard but these were a lot closer.

The crowds were so packed and visibility was hard but through the din of chaos, she could see what everyone was rushing away from. For there in the middle of the road lay a body with another atop it. The one on the ground seemed to be twitching in pain. And the one on top was biting the other. Blood flowed everywhere. And then she realized, that wasn't the only one.

There were multiple people biting others, and eating them.

Vernon and Petunia moved as one each grabbing an arm of their son and running back from where they came. They rushed past the doorman as the same bell hop rushed to lock the door.

They ran to the lift and were stuck waiting impatiently for it to ding. They kept turning round and round trying to see everyone around them.

Only pausing to see people banging at the doors of the hotel. The poor bellhop trying to keep them closed.

Their mouths dripping pools of red. They were gruesome sights, some with their innards spilling out of their stomach, missing arms or random chunks of flesh.

Petunia cried in horror.

The bellhop lost his footing and fell backward.

A sick man burst through.

Then another.

And another.

They pounced on the bellhop, while one turned away. He ran straight for the waiting Dursleys.

In that moment, the lift dinged. But it wasn't opening fast enough.

Vernon turned to face the man, to protect his family. He punched him right across the face, a punch that put the man on his ass. But he just lunged for Vernon's legs.

Vernon couldn't move away fast enough.

And the crazy man bit him.

His jaws clamping around him.

He yelled in pain and pushed his son into the elevator. He kicked the man off his leg and tried to stagger backward. But the looney lunged in for a second bite and caught his thigh.

Dudley screamed, "Dad! No! Get off!" And suddenly the man was pulled off. Taking a chunk of Vernon's thigh with him. It was as if an invisible force took the man and through him across the room.

Vernon leaned against the inside of the elevator as the door closed. He was bleeding heavily but all his thoughts turned to his son and wife, he wanted them safe. Dudley was frozen in shock, watching his father get whiter. Petunia grasped her husband frantically trying to hold him up.

The elevator dinged.

It was so quiet as they left the lift.

It was such a contrast to the crazy just a few floors lower.

Dudley cried quietly, then began to wail as he ran to the door and banged against it.

Petunia and Vernon finally reached the door and he almost dropped to the ground as Petunia banged her fists while calling for her nephew. "Harry, Harry! Open the door! Harry."

Dudley's frantic knocks mixed in with his mother's. "Please Harry, please!"

"Harry, open the door!" she spoke while taking off her jumper, she wrapped it around Vernon's thigh, and pulled it tight.

The door slowly opened and Dudley pushed himself through and made way for his parents. They rushed in and she leaned her husband against the bed. She muttered quickly, "What do I do, what do I do?" Her hands fluttered around her husband, she didn't know where to start. "Harry! Harry! Go get the bucket and fill it with ice, quickly. Harry. Harry go!" The boy was frozen, but her son was just as frozen. His eyes filled with unshed tears while her sons eyes were overflowing. "Harry! Please! I need to stop the bleeding! Before one of them comes!"

Harry silently shook himself and plucked the ice bucket up and left the room.

Petunia spoke to her son, "Dudders hold the door open and watch your cousin. Dudley! Focus, please Dudley! If you see one, yell for Harry to get in and close the door!" She put her hand against her husband's forehead and pulled it away just as quickly at the alarming heat level. She'd never felt a fever so high. Vernon was beginning to get delirious.

His words were incoherent mumbles.

And then he stopped talking.

Her heart constricted, fearing the worst.

She couldn't look at him.

She felt him move against her fingertips, and almost let out a sigh of relief.

But then pain… so much pain.

He bit her arm.

She struggled to push him off and she looked at his face as he bit her shoulder. And his eyes were grey, and lifeless.

Her beloved husband was gone.

She gazed back at the child and her little sisters son and whispered, "Run."

She felt tears gather in her eyes.

They weren't moving. Her children weren't leaving. They just stayed. The ice fell from Harry's grasp and they hadn't moved.

She could feel the heat from the sun across her face. And she looked out the window. In that moment she realized this disease, or whatever it is, it's the bite.

They aren't leaving.

She grabbed her husband tighter and pushed with all her strength.

And he went through the window.

Her body sagged against the window frame. "Boys quickly, come, I don't have much time." They slowly walked to her side. They both started to speak rapidly. "Hush now let me speak." Their mouths snapped shut. "Harry, here." She passed him a small bag with a drawstring. "A friend of your mother's gave that to me. He wanted you to have it." Harry stared at the small bag in wonder. But he shook himself and focused on his aunts words. Dudley moved closer and held his mother's hand. Crying for his father. Crying for his mother as blood soaked her front.

She continued slowly, laboriously. "He said it has everything you need, but only a witch or wizard could use it. Stick your hand in and say what you need and it will hit your palm." She turned to her son. "Inside there's a letter for you, Dudley. I should have known. I was going to explain it but you'll have to learn with your cousin. Listen to Harry, Duddy. You'll be amazing, you both will." She stood a little straighter. As if resolving herself. "Go to the roof and stay away from people until someone you recognize comes for you. It's the bite boys. Don't get bit, do whatever you need to. Survive. I love you both. We're so proud. Wand out Harry."

She pushed herself out the window.