31st October, 1993.

“Sally, can you pass me a caramel apple?”

Luna pointed next to her friend who nodded as she focused on a slice of carrot cake while handing the caramel apple to the blonde.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was filled to the brim with excited students, staff and the ghosts of Hogwarts.

Peeves the Poltergeist zoomed over the Hufflepuff table with a cackle.

It was nice.

What with everything that had been happening at school.

Ever since Sirius Black’s escape from Azkaban, the dementors of had been floating around the school with such a focused gaze and chill that it had affected not only the students, but the atmosphere too.

The clouds were always grey and it felt like the monsters had sucked out some of the colors in the air.

In fact, students became occasionally tired and cold if they stayed outside for too long.

Most of the Herbology and COMC classes had been cut short when it occasionally became unbearable.

Even the Astronomy classes sometimes got unbearable because it took place at night at the Astronomy tower and when you focused your telescope closer to Hogwarts, you could catch sight of the abominable beasts.

It was one of those times that Sally-Anne Perks was glad she and Luna had been in one of the furthest compartments during their journey to Hogwarts, when they had gotten into the train.

The strawberry blonde haired girl truly hoped Sirius Black would be caught soon so it’d be over.

Of course, that didn’t mean her best friend Luna agreed with her.

According to the girl’s father, Sirius Black was a false name.

Not even real.

Apparently he was Stubby Boardman, the lead singer of The Hobgoblins. He retired from public life after being struck in the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church Hall nearly fifteen years ago and apparently couldn’t have been guilty of the crimes he’d been said to have committed as he had been having a candlelit dinner with one of the Journalists of The Quibbler.

It was all a crazy story in her opinion, but she wouldn’t tell that to Luna anyways.

“Do you think anything’ll happen like last year?”

Sally-Anne asked Luna who tilted her head slightly, her eyes a bit unfocused as if staring at something.

The strawberry blonde always felt like there was indeed something that Luna could see and others couldn’t.

She always seemed focused and it occasionally creeped Sally-Anne out, wondering just what was out there in the metaphysical world.

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“Well… it’s Halloween. The veil between worlds are usually weaker on this day. Anything could happen.”

Nearby, Luna’s fellow 2nd year roommate, Cindy Fawcett scoffed, rolling her eyes as her other friend giggled uncontrollably, but Sally-Anne and Luna ignored them both.

Because even if some tried to make Luna look like an idiot and Sally by association, it didn’t change the fact that Halloween was indeed a special night especially in the Wizarding World, even for the spirit and metaphysical world because it did indeed weaken the barriers of the human world for a while.

It was why in so many cultures, families paid homage to their loved ones on this night.

But it was more than the two 2nd and 3rd years could imagine.

It was much, more worse.

In the Ministry of Magic, the lowest section of the building, deep underground and away from the prying eyes of the public and even the government workers combined.

The Department of Mysteries, more known as the DOM. Or level nine.

A place where a number of divisions were.

From the Brain room where any and all experiments on the brain was done.

The Hall of Prophecy, where hundreds and thousands of prophecies, both active and inactive, were kept.

The Death Chamber, containing one of the oldest artefacts known to man… the veil.

The Love Room, one of the most mysterious and secretive divisions in the Department where they studied one of the most powerful forces known to man. Love.

The Space Chamber. Where space itself was studied, as well as it’s effect on magic and time itself.

The Time Room. Also one of the most dangerous divisions in the Department. Where sensitive experiments were done in relation to time itself and how one little change, could affect the flow of time.

The Ritual and Rites room. Where any and everything that had to do with all rituals, ritual sites and Rites were studied closely.

The Ancient Magics room. Where Magics of old were studied from old tomes and revived as well as protected from those who would use it for bad.

And then, another of the most important divisions in the Department. The Cosmic room.

Where the study of all things metaphysical was done. Where the protection of the magical barriers of Great Britain, which was connected with those of the other magical countries from their own Ministries, through the interconnecting leylines of the earth, which create a barrier big and strong enough to protect the world from metaphysical beasts.

Beasts from the Neverrealms.

And that was where a problem was presently brewing.

“Shut it down, Fontaine!”

Fellow unspeakable Bode barked out behind the purple shield he’d created along with 12 other unspeakables as Unspeakable Fontaine stood outside of the barrier, a look of fear beneath the black cape cowl of the unspeakables that protected their identities.

“I-I can’t! It’s not working! Lumina abiit!”

She screamed out, pointing out her wand at the growing golden ball that was levitating out of an half melted cauldron.

A stream of darkness hit the light but nothing happened except for the slight flicker and the small growth.

“Lumina abiit!”

Fontaine screamed out again, backing away from the growing light.

“Fontaine!”

“I said it’s not working!”

She screamed out, turning to her fellow unspeakables behind a protective shield.

“It’s too strong! And it’s growing fucking bigger—”

“###**%%%*###%%%***###!!!”

She whipped her head back to the now larger golden red ball as it seemed to make an otherworldly sound that made all the unspeakables skins crawl.

“Fontaine, over here now!”

Bode barked out as he warily glanced at the mystical ball and Fontaine stumbled a bit.

It was too late for her to join them though, as the ball seemed to vanish into itself for a moment, and implode outwards.

Fontaine’s eyes popped out and she only got a second to throw the shield around herself but it didn’t strengthen enough for her to bear the brunt of the explosion like the others.

With a loud metaphysical BOOM!!! The Ministry of Magic building seemed to rock from the very foundations.

But it wasn’t the only building though, from the MOM, the wave spread out and even deep underground, shaking the whole of Great Britain and Europe, passing through the Americas, Africa and even through Asia.

It shook the world for just about 15 seconds, with no harm that could be seen, only the world shaking on itself.

And it was over.

Back at Hogwarts… the students ate to their hearts fill, chattering here and there, with no idea what was to come.

And it did.

It started small and then the school began to shake from it’s very foundations.

Fear turned to the occasional screams as the candle lights shimmered and plates fell here and there.

Sally-Anne and Luna held onto each other, fear in their eyes as Dumbledore struggled to his feet, wand in hand and a serious look on his face.

Some teachers gasped as the tables seemed to vibrate and move on their own and the screams in the air increased as some students fell on their arses.

And it happened under the course of 15 seconds.

And it was over.

It was quiet for a moment, before the noise in the hall increased exponentially.

“Bloody Hell!”

“What the hell was that?!”

“Was it an earthquake?!”

Sally-Anne turned to Luna.

“Are you okay?”

She turned to her friend whose eyes were suddenly more focused as she stared at something.

Sally-Anne turned towards what had caught her attention and for a second, she held her head a bit as a quick pain resonated inside her head for a moment and it was gone.

She turned back to Luna.

“What’s wrong?”

Luna shook her head.

“Nothing… I just…”

She frowned.

“Something’s wrong Sally.”

Her grey bulbous eyes turn to her friend’s baby blue eyes that had specks of green and golden yellow in it.

“Something’s really wrong.”

And Sally-Anne did indeed feel like something was wrong.

As she looked around the Great Hall, ignoring the students and staff, the world seemed to… flicker for a moment, and Sally-Anne thought for a second it was her mage sight messing with her.

“Students! Off to your dormitories immediately! If any of you are injured, seek the help of a prefect and head to the infirmary. Professors, with me please.”

Sally-Anne needed no telling twice as she shivered, and for a moment, it felt like she was in the presence of a dementor, just no cold or sad feeling involved.

But… as the two best friends headed to their dormitories, hand in hand… even as they were later directed back to sleep in the Great Hall after an apparent sighting of Sirius Black, Sally-Anne couldn’t shake the feeling…

The feeling that something was… off, with the world.