Every Halloween night there comes a strange time for the living world. The moment when the world of dead and living come a little closer, allowing a few determined ones to pass through to the other side.

Therefore, it was on this day that so many rites and rituals were performed. 

People lit huge bonfires in the middle of their villages, dressed up in scary costumes and put carved pumpkins around. The decorations in the small trees have always been made by hand. They used every little thing on this day that was passed down through generations, proven rituals that will help descendants, and won't leave them without protection.

In magical villages, these rituals were rarely performed, but the Lovegoods followed every old tradition. Therefore, their house was protected from dark spirits and magic, at least according to them. 

Now that the festivals and celebrations are over, people have gone home, allowing the night to come forth, shrouding the village in darkness. The night was illuminated only by the lights of candles standing on the windows of houses, and the moon, which pushed back the darkness with its brilliant light for late travelers.

Before his unexpected death, Dan had little faith in the afterlife. But now, knowing for sure that something was waiting for everyone behind the veil of death, he couldn't stop being nervous. Now he has a rare opportunity – the opportunity to send a message to his parents, and maybe even to his sister and grandfather, if there is at least one point of contact with his old world.

"Talking to the departed is always an unusual experience." Luna said. "They don't appear as ghosts or specters, incapable of human speech. But they can talk. Their answers are quiet, hidden in the whisper of the wind and the rustle of leaves. Sometimes they respond, and sometimes they prefer to remain silent. Just listening." The girl said when they were walking into the forest near the village.

"The spirits of the dead are sensitive to emotions." Xeno continued. "Fear and anger upset them more than you can imagine, I advise you to release your thoughts and be calm. Less chance of attracting others…"

"Others?" Dan asked in alarm. 

"Nothing to worry about." He spoke quickly. "Further our roads diverge, further to the north you will see a perfect circle of trees, look closely at their bark, I believe you can recognize a rune if you see one, yes? Of course, they are quite far away, but magic requires it. There you can start the ritual." The man looked Dan up and down and his gaze fell on the monster boy's goggles. "But you'd better take off your glasses for a while. It will be easier to see the invisible without them."

With these words, the three went their separate ways, each Ritual was a very private thing, even illegal ones, but the ritual of contact with the dead? There was nothing more personal than these conversations. Dan could only compare it to talking at the grave of a deceased relative, hoping that they would hear you. Only in this case, one can feel whether they hear you or not.

Stepping forward with measured steps, Dan fiddled with his glasses, slowly lowering the band onto his neck. Of course, the enchantments on the goggles allowed him to see through them as if they didn't exist, but it was more pleasant to see with his own eyes without fear of falling into a rage. The cold air of the October night prickled his skin, making him walk faster, but he didn't resist.

Several small animals followed him again, examining the newcomer with interest. Squirrels, mice, rabbits, and even a few owls could sense something familiar about him. Dan didn't have the heart to drive them away this time.

Finally stopping at the edge of a small opening, he looked around. The trees here were exactly as Xeno had described them.

Seven firs stood opposite each other, spreading their branches apart, as if they were trying to capture the space between them in a perfect circle. If one would lay down on the ground and look at the sky from this place, they would swear from top to bottom that the trees were cut.

These trees were closely connected with the foresight of the distant future and the afterlife, Dan remembered this clearly. It was from fir that most of the coffins were made only two hundred years ago.

Running his fingertips over the bark of a nearby tree, Dan shuddered. As soon as his skin grazed the tree, he immediately felt as if a lightning bolt of unfamiliar energy struck his body. It was something other than magic, something older, wilder.

Believing that this was the right place, the monster boy entered the circle and began to draw on the ground, starting from the East Tree itself. His sharp fingers moved traced a path into the earth, leaving straight lines leading to all seven trees and ending again in the East.

The East was the beginning of beginnings, symbolizing light, the source of life. It was like a lamp for moths. The seven-pointed star attracted wandering souls closer to this place, when the spiritual nature of the spruce sent this "signal" to exactly those whom Dan wanted to hear.

Sitting in the center of the ritual circle, the monster boy turned his gaze to the West and took a deep breath. Just sitting still and feeling the energy pulse under his feet.

He felt the earth breathe with him.

"... mom, dad, can you hear me?" He muttered, listening to his surroundings closely.

The wind picked up for a moment, sending the leaves flying in a short flight. Dan admitted that he stared at the leaves for a couple of moments, not fully believing what was happening.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled sadly, rubbing his eyes. He lost the ability to cry after being reborn, but that didn't stop him from feeling like he would burst into tears right on the spot. "I am in a very strange place right now. Some crazy god sent me to another world after I almost died."

This day felt like a lifetime ago, in every way. Dan hoped he never had to see The Wanderer ever again. He could live peacefully without cosmic horror in his life.

"At first, I didn't even know what to do. I didn't even have a clue why I was looking for people at that moment, with my new appearance, I would have been killed at the spot. Luckily, a few wizards found me."

Dan talked about his stay over the past couple of months. His highs and lows, his strange friendships with Hogwarts students, and his recent trip to the dungeon.

He talked about how magic was slowly becoming a part of his daily life. He spoke of how new knowledge made him think bigger, dream bigger, and believe more. "Although the latter is Luna's fault, I confess."

The wind rose and died around his figure as he spoke, whistling happily when Dan talked about Luna and howling in rage when he got to the spider parts of the story.

But in the end, Dan stopped. The forest became silent again.

A long gust of wind dragged some leaves across the floor as if asking a question.

"... I still don't know what to do. First this god stuffed me into this damned body, then I start to sleepwalk and draw fucking magical runes, and just recently some old Enderman came to me in a dream and stuffed a ton information in my skull!"

Dan clenched his hands into fists, tearing at the seams of his robes, but quickly forced himself to calm down. "My anger gets out of hand too often. Recently I started thinking of some creatures as inferior to me. That's not right."

He was brought up better than that. Sure, he wasn't the politest person on planet Earth, but to ooze so much hatred for an entire race of sentient beings? It wasn't normal.

"Everything is happening too fast. I haven't had time to figure out magic yet, but I already have so many heights that I'm going crazy. Oh, right, there's also some being called The Corrupted One that'll come to eat my soul soon! As if I don't have enough problems already!"

Dan forced himself to calm down again, feeling the beginning of an angry tirade in his throat. It was exactly what Xeno had advised against. He didn't want to be angry during the only hour he could communicate with his parents. 

"I don't feel like I'm in control of my life anymore." He muttered, looking down at his hands. "What can I do against some secret fuckin' demon lord who is going after me? I'm not even the main character of this world, Potter has to kill the big bad evil guy. I was literally picked up like a toy and thrown here. No prep time, no wishes, no nothing…"

And again, he felt like he was about to cry.

A warm breeze brushed across his cheek like and Dan almost leaned into the ghostly touch. But as much as he wished for the impossible, it was only a wind without a physical form.

"I know I need to stay strong, but I don't have a reason to be strong anymore. Katya and Kurt are gone, and I just want to-" He stopped, collecting his thoughts again. "I miss them… I miss you all so much…" he quietly confessed.

The wind didn't answer him. The Witching Hour has already passed.

Dan didn't know how long he sat on the cold ground, sobbing without tears and mourning the loss of his last family. Maybe next time he would talk to his parents on a more cheerful note, but that day was not today.

The boy felt something small land on his bony shoulder and softly hoot into his ear. He opened his eyes and met the eyes of the smartest looking owl he had ever seen in his life.

The bird butted him softly on the forehead and hooted again, as if telling him it was time to leave. Dan didn't mind, it was certainly past his usual walking hours.

Looking around, he was shocked to see the absurdly large number of animals surrounding the circle of trees. What surprised him even more was that only the owl had crossed the imaginary barrier around the trees. He didn't know if it was politeness or their animal instinct for self-preservation.

Seeing all the animals watching him expectantly, Dan stroked the owl's chest for a job well done, got to his feet and started walking back towards the Rookery.

"Feeling like a Disney princess…" He glanced at the animals around him. "Luna would be happy to see you all."

And she was.