"It's odd, over the years I haven't really thought very much about the night my friends and I ran across Voldemort's Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. I mean, I think of Sirius often, but not much of that night. Lately, for some reason, I keep having a recurring nightmare about it."
"Interesting. Well, as always, we need to nip this surge in the bud and not let it get out of hand. Return everything! But that is a strange coincidence — it's an incredibly specific place and time for the Calamity to focus."
Located in the Death Chamber, hidden deep within the Department of Mysteries, stands the mysterious and ancient Veil. The Veil embodies the divide between the living and the deceased — one can hear faint whispers and hints of voices just across the entrance threshold. Any person entering the Veil dies immediately.
"I have never understood why the Ministry has kept this here. I've fought for its removal and destruction, but there are people who will not let it be removed."
Deep within the Department of Mysteries it the enigmatic Brain Room. The room features a glass "Tank of Brains" — a literal tank of active brains immersed in a special liquid. The brains usually lie dormant but can be very dangerous when disturbed. The Ministry studies thought and related subjects in this chamber and Grim Fawley is suspected to have spend many hours in the room prior to his disappearance.
"The "Tank of Brains". I Still have no idea what they really are or how they "live" — but they can be lethal. What is a bit odd is that very few people have actually seen or even know of this tank... Why was it turned into a Foundable?"
Despite being widely considered a bit dotty by her classmates, Luna Lovegood, was in fact a highly talented witch. Her abilities made her instrumental at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as she helped her fellow students survive an ambush by Death Eaters. Luna Lovegood most certainly embodies the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover".
"Once, when I was briefly exploring a career in Magizoology, I meet Luna. She was incredibly helpful... But she was also a bit..."
"Unusual? That's Luna. She is completely herself at all time. You know she, almost more than anyone else, taught me to never judge people on first impressions. I originally wrote her off as a bit daft, but she turned out to be one of the most brave, insightful people I've ever known."
"Ron nearly died that night, you know... When I think about it now — as a mother with mu own children — what we were doing in those rooms was utter insanity. And yet, if we hadn't? Voldemort would have continued consolidating his power underground, hiding in the shadows..."
The Bell Jar of Time is stored within the Department of Mysteries in the exotic, clock-themed Time Room. Within the jar one can see what appears to be a time-loop acting upon a hummingbird: an egg becomes a chick, who grows to maturity and flies up inside the jar and black down to reform into the egg. Mesmerizing and fascinating, the Unspeakables are said to use it to study time-related magic.
"If I were to go back into Department of Mysteries — I've never been admitted back in — I would spend a lot of time in this room (pardon the pun). There was something truly amazing about that Bell Jar that I've never forgotten."
"That's one interpretation. I wouldn't say it's "not debatable". I will say I am greatly concerned that top-secret objects — objects that are not widely known about and rarely discussed — are now being routinely stolen by the Calamity."
"Yes. There is some reason. And, hopefully, when this surge inevitably returns, we can figure out how to stop this nonsense before more Ministry secrets are splayed all across the bloody globe for all to see."
"As we know it would, the surge has returned. And it remains incredibly specific — focusing almost entirely on that night we fought Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries."
"Honestly? No. I think he's wrong. But, I've learned over the years that what one thinks and what is the truth do not always match up quite properly... Greengrass can be very sensitive his department's privacy, but he's also quite smart... "
"Exactly. Many of these Foundables are top secret... No matter how they happened to get there, they cannot be left out in the world for any length of time. We must act quickly."
Misled by Death Eaters into believing his godfather Sirius Black was in danger, Harry Potter led five students into the Ministry of Magic in a daring nighttime rescue attempt. During the resulting ambush, Harry, the students and member of the Order of the Phoenix held off the Death Eaters and carried the day. However, Sirius was tragically killed that night by his own cousin, Bellatrix.
"Thank you. Whenever a piece of you is taken by the Calamity it is truly... uncomfortable. Awful, really. Returning it back to me has made me feel far more whole."
"Harry? Do you have any ideas about this particular surge? It's so very very specific... Hermione thinks it revolves around the Battle of the Department of Mysteries."
"Well, Hermione is very, very smart, isn't she? And can I tell you a little secret Constance? I do have a few ideas about why this is happening. More than a few. But I am quite late for an appointment and I have to run. You'll have to wait."
Prophecy Orb contain an audible transcript of predictions made by a Seer — a person who has the ability to parse visions of the future. The orbs are accessible only to those whom the Prophecy itself concerns. Harry Potter was lured to the Hall of Prophecy to retrieve one aimed at him by a group of Death Eaters using vision of Sirius Black as bait. The resulting Battle of the Department of Mysteries between Dumbledore's Army members and Death Eaters caused many Prophecy Orbs to be destroyed, their contents lost forever.
"I used to have strange dreams about those orbs after that night. All of those voices, lost to time... I always wondered — how did the Ministry manage to gather so many in the first place?"
Regarded by her teachers as one of the most talented witches of her time, Hermione Granger, was an extraordinary student. She performed admirably at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Accounts claim Hermione was wary of the rescue plan from the onset and foresaw a possible trap and her quick thinking helped save the day.
"I'm wondering if maybe that piece of my memory being stolen from me was causing those dreams I was having? There are all kinds of theories about how events in your life shape who you are — perhaps when the Calamity steals something seminal to your growth, your body knows it's missing?"
Minions of Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters, were typically pure-blood witches and wizards who did not approve of relations between the wizarding world and Muggles. Purists an all forms, they sought an end to secrecy about wizardkind and dreamt of eventually taking power across the globe. To allow themselves anonymity within the wizarding community (their position was illegal afterall), Death Eaters donned ornate masks to conceal their identities but could usually be identified by the Dark Mark tattoos many wore.
"Those hideous masks... They're a sign of weakness, aren't they? You know you are landing squarely on the wrong side of history when you have to wear a mask in public because the cause you support is that unpopular."
"I figured out how Grim manipulated the Calamity. It's not easy — it's rather hard, really — but it can be done for a short period of time. And in that time window you can use it to communicate — either through things like that note I left you or by implanting memories in the living Foundables you convince the Calamity to steal."
"No. It's impossible to simply stop it. It's like an ocean. You cannot stop an ocean. You can ride it, and try to guide it... It's incredible and terrifying and like nothing I've ever seen before... And as I rode the wave of thought and passion and yearning driving the Calamity, I realized that if Grim and I can manipulate this...
Someone else could too. It's incredibly powerful, Hermione. So much more dangerous than we ever imagined."