Something happens to magic in the United Kingdom on Halloween 1991.

Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, the creative lady who shared her wizard and his life with the world. She's kind enough to allow others to play on her beach for a while.

BEGIN: No.10 Downing Street (8:00 PM to Midnight)

The prime minister's office was busy on the evening of 31 October 1991. Meetings continuing into the night were normal, but something unusual occurred at 7:34PM (GMT) and captured John Major's attention. A portrait stuck to the wall for a century fell to the floor. The picture frame landed on one end and the force broke the wooden frame and warped the painting.

Given the peculiar properties of this painting in the past, Mr Major's security detail immediately moved the prime minister out of the office and a specialist in unspeakable matters entered the office to investigate. The second specialist was unconscious and no one could revive the woman.

Within fifteen minutes, Mr Major received disturbing news – all magical agents for the UK government were unconscious. These men and women used their magic to counter and block many of the spells and charms the unscrupulous wizards of Magical Britain used on officials and offices in the mundane government. Fearing an attack by the Magical Ministry was underway, Mi5 ordered Mr Major to move into secure tunnels underneath No.10 Downing Street. A second alert went out to move the Queen and key royal family members to secure locations.

Mi5 contacted watchers for magical locations in London. Mundane men and women were in place around the entrance to the subterranean government building underneath a car park, the hospital hidden in an abandoned warehouse, and the shopping centre called Diagon Alley that was located behind a pub on Charing Cross Road. The door, walls and slate roof of the Leaky Cauldron appeared in the real world for the first time in more than three hundred years. One watcher, a constable, entered the pub and found all the inhabitants comatose on the floor or slumped in their chairs. The oldest persons were dead and the younger ones were in a deep sleep.

There was a large hole in the wall at the back of the pub that allowed the constable to observe people collapsed around the cobblestone street. One imposing structure with the name Gringotts was locked up tightly with no lights or movements seen.

The British military was already in motion, helicopters staged with shock troops to fly into London and other key locations if needed, and bases locked down while communications teams turned satellite cameras (British, European, and American) onto the British Isles to scan for activity in suspected magical areas. Military commanders were concerned because one entire special forces group (muggleborn) was reported unconscious. Units of the Royal Navy put to sea and vessels already on the ocean prepared to take command of communications if hostiles compromised bases in the country.

Mi5 officials reached out to their counterparts in Dublin, Paris, and Brussels with inquiries about agents falling unconscious. Dublin reported their agents were comatose but in Paris and Brussels, everyone (mundane and magical) was conscious.

Watchers confirmed via mobile phones that in every known magical location, the people were unconscious and nothing could wake them up. Satellite images of known magical homes, and villages reported that individuals who lay still on the ground.

From the emergency command bunker, Mr Major asserted his authority and demanded, "Show me pictures! What do the satellite pictures show?"

Mi5 agents brought the prime minister a packet of photos taken by satellites, mobiles, and a few cameras. Every photo showed people dressed in clothes from three centuries or more earlier on the ground or floor. One photo caught Major's attention and he brought it to the attention of the directors.

"This is that place in Scotland where they have their school. There's not a castle there but I see a large crowd of children and they don't look like their unconscious. Make that the first priority."

"With respect, sir. We should seize the underground…"

"The children first!" Major insisted. "Predators won't hesitate to…"

"There aren't any known animals in the area," the man replied, ignoring, or not seeing the frown on the Prime Minister's face.

"Good, but I'm thinking about human predators!" John Major stated. "Now, is it necessary for me to repeat my orders? Children first!"

The man moved to a phone and issued orders to an air base in Scotland. In minutes, helicopters were in the air. These helicopters were fitted with large, bright lights and staffed by medical corpsmen.

CHANGE SCENE: Hogwarts (31 October 1991 9:00PM to Midnight)

Professor Filius Flitwick used his wand and Hogwarts magic to maintain and bolster the heating charms that kept the comatose adults and conscious children warm in the cold Scottish night. House elves brought him piles of blankets, pillows, and cloaks from bedrooms and trunks to wrap around the scared and confused children. The same elves refused to bring the trunks outside the wards – those artefacts held magic and couldn't be allowed to fall into the hands of muggles. And the students and professors were all muggles now. Hogwarts remained hidden behind the powerful wards that protected the castle for three hundred years. Flitwick had control of the wards as the senior member of staff and he'd set to work to keep the children safe and warm as soon as he learned where they'd vanished to after the incident in the Great Hall.

The half goblin had seen Hagrid's large shape in the shadows along the edge of the Forbidden Forest a few times. The half-giant remained hidden in the darkness of the night because the children and adults were muggles now. During the Halloween feast, all the staff but for Hagrid and Filius collapsed and nothing could revive them. All sixth- and seventh-year students were comatose as well. The fifth through first year students were awake but confused; their magic had vanished and now, their wands were just sticks. The castle's house elves had gently but firmly removed everyone from the Great Hall and deposited them beyond the castle wards.

Once they were outside the wards of the castle, several pureblood students grew frightened when they called for personal house elves to come to them but the servant never appeared with their usual pop.

Professor Flitwick ignored the ghosts and portraits that ordered him to not go outside with the muggles (several called the children and comatose staff 'mudbloods') but the diminutive professor hurried past them to care for the children. At Flitwick's order, the castle's house elves brought out the blankets and cloaks needed to fight off the cold and the servants provided hot chocolate and food all without being seen.

With the immediate needs of the children handled, Flitwick glanced toward Hogsmeade where he saw lights flickering off as charms failed on the ever-last torches. No one moved around in the village and Flitwick noticed the centaurs patrolling the edge of the Forbidden Forest. None of the creatures would cross the wards of the castle this evening.

After five minutes of attempting to send a message off for help, Filius gave up. He was disturbed that his Patronus would not leave and find someone to ask for help. His niffler Patronus would not leave for Gringotts, Saint Mungos, the DMLE or any other department in the ministry.

Seated alone and wrapped up in three blankets, Harry Potter had tears streaming down his face. Hermione Granger made certain the boy drank his hot chocolate and while Sally Ann Perks, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Dean Thomas kept the other children – the ones who had grown up with magic – away from the Boy-Who-Lived.

'Who will write the story that tells the wizards and witches that the Boy-Who-Lived is the Boy-Who-Wished-Away-Magic?' Filius wondered.

Starting faintly but growing louder, a rhythmic sound caught the professor's attention. The sound came from the southeast and grew louder as whatever it was approached Hogwarts. Filius saw the muggleborn students stand up and watch the darkness closely. The magical born took their clues from the other students and did not panic. Hank Peabody, a fourth-year Ravenclaw muggleborn told Filius, "That sounds like at least a dozen helicopters, professor. The government is sending help."

Filius kept his opinion to himself and allowed the oldest muggleborn students to move forward to signal the helicopters. Bright lights erupted from the bottom of the flying contraptions and highlighted the field between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Stepping back toward the ward line that would hide Filius from the servicemen, Filius stopped to speak to the students, to reassure the muggleborn and hopeful of reaching the magicborn, "These men and women will help you. Do not try to fight them and you will be alright."

Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley both refused to believe the professor's words. Each boy refuted the ability of any muggle to 'help' a wizard. Draco muttered, "When my father hears about his…", while Ronald shouted, "My mum's going to send howlers to those muggles!"

The helicopters disgorged men and women bearing knapsacks, and boxes. A few personnel carried weapons and they established a perimeter for a camp. The muggleborn students directed the medical staff to the comatose adults and students. The magicborn students watched carefully but said little.

In only fifteen minutes, loaded with the youngest students, two helicopters took off and headed back to their base. More of the loud, flying contraptions approached the field that had lights on the grassy field as the muggleborn lead the magic-born students forward. One large helicopter with a large red cross on the side, landed and teams of soldiers with stretchers headed toward the comatose persons.

Now behind the wards and invisible to the muggle servicemen and students, Filius watched the medical staff checking over the comatose people. The muggles took the comatose students first. The half-goblin froze when he saw the medical staff pull blankets over the faces of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Madam Pince, and Poppy Pomphrey.

Filius was shocked! 'They're dead? Already? I thought they were just asleep.'

CHANGE SCENE: Military Base (1 November 1991 8:00 AM to Noon)

It was morning before anyone interviewed the students. Starting with the muggleborn, the servicemen worked their way through the students carefully. After lunch, when he was interviewed by a serviceman, Harry stated that he had no family. When pressed about his answer, Potter sighed and admitted, "They're dead. The wizards killed them."

"When?"

"I'm not certain. I hadn't received a letter for the whole of October so I wrote to a policeman back home I know to check on them. Last night, Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore told me that my letter had been intercepted by some ward. Dumbledore said that there wasn't any reason to bother Inspector Johnson – my relatives were dead."

"The headmaster told you that your relatives are dead? That sounds sorta cold," the man said.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "Dumbledore said that wizards were angry about me being tortured by the muggles and they killed my family."

"Tortured? What did they mean about being tortured?"

Holding up his left arm, Harry explained, "Back in summer, I broke my arm and it was in a cast the first time I met any wizards and witches in Diagon Alley."

"The crazy people thought a cast was something used to torture you?"

"Yeah, they have something that you drink and it fixes the broken bone overnight."

"Well, that sounds nice," the serviceman replied. "But why did they go crazy?"

From a nearby table, Hank Peabody interrupted and said, "Witches and wizards don't have any common sense and they think everything magic is better than anything 'muddy'."

The serviceman interviewing Potter asked the other boy, "Why stick with them then? Why do there in the first place?"

"There's a law that until you pass your exams at the end of your fifth year, you have to attend Hogwarts. If you drop out or refuse to attend, some wizards come to your home, take away everything magical and make you and your family forget all about magic. They cast a spell on you so you can't ever do magic again."

Peabody continued, "After I took my OWLS next June, I was going back to school in the real world. Professor Flitwick knew my plans and arranged for me to keep up my correspondence classes every years at Hogwarts."

Turning back to Harry, the serviceman asked, "Do you have any other relatives?"

"No sir."

"Is there any friend from…from school you can go home with?"

"No!" Harry replied. "They're the reason my family was killed. I hate them all!"

Hermione Granger provided the names of her parents, their address and phone numbers. After placing a phone call, the young girl knew the military already planned to reunite her with her parents the next day. She approached Harry while he was still talking to the serviceman.

"Mr Potter, you can come home with me."

Hermione and Harry were not close but they studied together almost every night. He replied, "Thanks, but I don't know you that well, Miss Granger."

Hermione replied, "We haven't become friends yet…but my parents are certified as foster parents. And if the government has to place the magic-born students with muggles, I'd pick you over everyone else to stay with us."

The servicemen talked together and called the police station in Little Whining to speak to Inspector Hal Johnson. After a quick but lengthy discussion, the serviceman hung up and dialled another number. Once he made the connection and spoke with the person on the other line, he called, "Harry Potter! There's a phone call for you!"

Hesitating to pick up the receiver for a moment, Harry lifted it and held it next to his ear and said, "Hello…"

CHANGE SCENE: No.4 Privet Drive (1 November 1981 Early Morning)

Hearing his wife's panicked voice, Vernon Dursley hurried down the stairs to find Petunia with a baby in her arms standing in their open front door with a basket on their doorstep. Recognizing his nephew, the man had been furious that someone placed a toddler outside and left him there for several hours. His wife had a letter she handed to him while weeping and holding her sister's child close.

"Vernon! They're dead! Lily and James are dead!" Petunia cried. "That manic killed them and some fool left Harry on our doorstep in a basket! How hard would it have been to ring the bell!"

Agreeing with his distraught wife, Vernon muttered, "Or wait until this morning to bring him here."

Looking over her nephew carefully, Petunia said, "There's a wound on his head! Harry's injured! I thought they had magic to treat something like this!"

Gently but urgently, Petunia undressed the sleepy toddler to examine him for injuries, bruises, or cuts. Harry protested a bit but his aunt murmured softly like Mummy and comforted the little boy. His nappy changed and his aunt holding him close, Harry looked around. The smile on the man's face made the child feel safe.

"Let me call Inspector Johnson. He'll help us," Vernon assured his wife. The local constable was a muggleborn who'd been introduced to Petunia and Vernon by Lily before she married James. Hal Johnson graduated from Hogwarts two years before Lily and he'd returned to the 'real world' immediately but remained in touch with a few friends from Gryffindor.

The Dursley family was suddenly four persons and two young boys challenged Petunia and Vernon's patience. Marge Dursley arrived the same afternoon and stayed for a week to help her sister-in-law transition to caring for two babies. Once the paperwork was in place, the government provided a stipend for Harry's care but with Inspector Johnson's help, Vernon pushed to settle the Potter estate with the goblins.

Access to funds earmarked for Harry's care were provided by the bank, and Vernon and Petunia blocked Albus Dumbledore from any access to the vaults that Harry would inherit someday. The headmaster attempted to circumvent the goblins and afterwards never attempted to finagle another galleon out of the vaults.

Medical care at the local hospital removed the 'growth' in the wound on the boy's head before the end of September and the Dursley's officially adopted their nephew the next week in the real world. The next ten years passed quickly with the brothers growing up to depend on each other at school and in the neighbourhood.

CHANGE SCENE: No.10 Downing Street (1 November 1991 2:00 AM)

"Prime Minister, the helicopters are back with the first children from Hogwarts. The younger children report that the adults fell just asleep and everyone lost their magic after one boy cursed them all."

"That sounds impossible," one cabinet minister replied. The man had just been made aware of the existence of magic that evening and Mr Major nodded in agreement.

"But Henry, they pop out of the fireplace, wave their little sticks, and make things happen," the prime minister added. "Perhaps someone upset the wrong wizard this time and we have the chance to kick them into step with the rest of the country."

An aide rushed into the room with a mobile in his hand. "Sir, Jennings reports that something is happening at their underground offices. No one's come out but the car park is crumbling into the ground."

"Any cars or civilians involved?" asked one of the military officers present.

The aide replied, "The watchers don't see any civilians around the area at this time of night. The car park is collapsing from the centre into the ground like it is filling up a hole along with the water from the Thames."

"Prime Minister, my contact in Brussels says that someone from the ICW – their EU – wants to come and look around."

"No!" Major replied. "There's no threat to their Statute of Secrecy so far and this is a matter concerning the internal security of the United Kingdom. They wouldn't help Thatcher when that madman was running loose! As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I order our borders closed to all magical traffic."

(Per the legal documents that permitted the magical people of the various kingdoms that existed in Great Britain in 1660 to form a separate government, the prime minister's declaration carried the force of law that was recognized by magic in the islands and on the continent. The prime minister of Ireland made a similar declaration and closed off the backdoor to the British Isles.)

"Think that'll do any good?" asked the military aide.

"If they obey their laws, it will," Major said. Looking at the head of security and the highest-ranking military officers, the prime minister continued, "Police and the armed forces are authorised to use deadly force against any one in that weird garb the wizards and witches wear appearing anywhere in the nation. Shoot to disable and then call for surrender."

"Sir, we don't shoot first!" objected an official with a legal background.

"We do against terrorists and insurrectionists! Thatcher broke their magic and chased that witch out of her office more than once!"

"But they never surrender!" replied the man from Mi5. "They refuse to believe we can hurt them."

"Any second shots are to be kill-shots," Major ordered. "I'm still not convinced this isn't some scheme to put their people in charge or the beginning of another insurrection."

Dame Thatcher's stories about that Bagnold woman-witch trying to force the army to stand down set a standard that John Major was determined to match. His only interview with Cornelius Fudge had been frustrating to say the least.

"Sir, there's something happening at the car park," the same aide reported. "The river is filling up the space fairly quickly. Someone turned off the pumps or opened a sluice and that underground…building is filling up with river water."

"None of our people are down there," the security fellow said.

The ranking military officer said, "Unfortunately, there's not likely to be many of them around either at this time of night."

CHANGE SCENE: No.4 Privet Drive (31 July 1991 Morning)

Petunia Dursley listened as her boys came down the stairs with enough noise to be heard three houses in every direction. They'd celebrated Dudley's eleventh birthday six weeks earlier and today, was Harry's eleventh birthday. It being summer, the entire family would venture to the zoo with two other boys from their primary school to celebrate. There'd be cake and ices with supper.

Vernon came behind his sons, "Dudley, be careful and don't jostle Harry's arm. The cast comes off in two more weeks and we don't want to spend his birthday in the hospital again.

"I won't Dad," Dudley replied. He teased his brother asking, "Poor little Harry and his broken arm. Does he need me to cut up his eggs for him this morning? Hmmm?"

"You three get in here and eat before breakfast gets cold! We've got a busy day ahead of us!" Petunia fussed good-naturedly.

"Yes Mum," all three replied as they hurried to the table. While they were seated around the table, the post was delivered through the slot in the front door and Harry slipped out of his chair to retrieve it. He returned with a few regular pieces of mail and one odd parchment envelope.

Looking at his family, Harry said, "The letter came from the wizards. I'd hoped they'd forgotten about me."

"Let's worry about it tomorrow," Vernon said. But Petunia shook her head.

"Inspector Johnson reminded us a couple months ago that an owl hangs around for an hour," she said. "Open and read your letter, Harry."

"Invited to Hogwarts, yadda, yadda, yadda…" Harry read and mocked the letter.

Dudley chortled. "Is that magic? 'Yadda, yadda, yadda'!"

All four Dursleys laughed and Harry said, "It'd be neat to have some spells to help with chores."

"After you're grown!" Petunia reminded her nephew-son. "Lily never used magic around Mum and Dad or me in the summers. I never saw magic – intentional magical spells – until after she turned seventeen."

Vernon nodded and said, "Harry, remember that time you made the boy's hair fall out because he picked on Dudley?"

"He was really scared and his parents took him to hospital," Dudley said.

Harry nodded. "I said I was sorry Dad, and I really was. But he punched Dudley."

"And I was proud of you for standing up for your brother," Vernon continued. "Family is the most important thing for Dursleys and you are a Dursley-Potter!"

Petunia rose to find paper and biro that she handed to Harry and said, "Write 'I accept but want someone to take me to Diagon Alley to go shopping tomorrow, 1 August.' Your dad and I can't see the entrance and you'll need…one of them to take you there."

Dudley turned to his brother and asked, "Do you have to grow horns or a tail to be a wizard?"

"No! Ugh! Dudders, that's gross," Harry snorted. When the letter was written, Harry went out the front door and found the brown owl waiting in a tree and held up the letter. The bird settled on the banister of the steps and the boy tied his reply to its leg and watched it fly off.

"Mum did my other mum send a letter back?" he asked when he turned and found Petunia standing there.

Smiling and hugging the boy, Petunia replied, "Lily did. There was a professor who came to visit – a lady straight out of one of my TV shows about Victorian England. We laughed at how she was dressed, but then Lily had to wear the same clothes, and she didn't ever think it was funny."

"Mum, what do the boys wear?" Harry asked, scared to hear the answer.

CHANGE SCENE: Train Station (1 September 1991. 10:00 AM)

"Dad."

"Yes," Vernon replied as he guided the car through traffic toward the carpark beside the train station.

"Mum cried last night, and then more this morning," Harry said. "Is she sad that I'm going to learn how to be a wizard?"

"No, she wants you to learn how to be the best wizard you can be," Vernon assured his son. "Petunia – your mum – is sad because both of her little boys have left home. We took Dudley to Smelting's on Friday and now you're leaving today."

Harry swallowed, "Is it okay if I'm excited about going to learn about magic? And spells and stuff?"

Parking the car, Vernon leaned over and gave his son a hug with one arm and said, "I'm glad – your Mum and I are both glad – that you're excited. Dudley is excited about boxing and learning maths. Mum and I want you to keep up with your lessons for regular classes. Hal Johnson thinks you'll want out of the crazy land after your fifth year."

In the station, Vernon watched his son meet a young girl headed for Hogwarts – she was very excited and talk non-stop. He greeted the parents and exchanged phone numbers, determined that they would create a network to keep everyone updated on the news from Magical Britain. He frowned just a bit to see Harry and girl – Hermione – disappear through a solid stone wall between gate 9 and gate 10.