As the sun sets on Hogsmeade, a sense of excitement and anticipation fills the air. The community of witches and wizards is preparing for their annual Walpurgis Night celebration, a magical event that celebrates the arrival of spring and the renewal of life.
Street vendors are out in force, all selling their wares. While many of the local businesses have set up stalls around the town square. There’s Warm Butterbeer from Hogsmeade. Filibuster fireworks from Zonkos and more street food, candy and trinkets to buy than people know what to do with.
Music from popular acts in the Wizarding World, lifts the crowds as they move through Hogsmeade. Many people drawn to the stage that has been erected right by the WWN and Daily Prophet Headquarters. Among the many performers is The Singing Sorceress herself, Madam Celestina Warbeck.
Even Hogwarts sixth and seventh year students - with permission from their parents of course - have been allowed to stay out later than usual to join in the festivities. While Witches and Wizards from all over Great Britain, have come to enjoy a night out with both family and friends.
As darkness falls, a giant bonfire is lit in the center of the village square. The flames leap high into the sky, casting flickering shadows over the gathered crowd. Off to the side, several witches and wizards are attending a table where attendees are invited to write a regret on a piece of paper to be burned as part of the climax to the nights events.
Overall, the occasional screaming child on a sugar high and bickering couple aside. The evening is an entertaining one. An opportunity for those who are leading busy lives to come together and shed the old while welcoming in the new.
At the height of the celebration, the night is dark and the air is thick with anticipation as a crowd of people gather around the large bonfire. The effigy, made of straw and cloth, is placed upon the flames. As the effigy blazes, a strange green smoke rises from the fire, swirling and twirling into a chaotic dance. It is an unnatural sight, even for Witches and Wizards, for this is not normal for Walpurgis celebrations, and the onlookers watch with uneasy fascination as the smoke grows thicker.
It is then that the burning effigy collapses in on itself, and the cloth covering it falls away to reveal a lifeless body. The pale face and sightless eyes of a man whose picture had been plastered on the pages of The Daily Prophet for the last week: Chester Hillicker, the missing Records Keeper here from the Ministry of Magic.
Whispers and murmurs ripple through the gathered spectators, and many begin to take steps back from the fire, their faces drained of blood and their eyes wide with fear. But their horror is far from over. As they look up into the sky, they see that the green smoke has taken on a new shape, forming a skull with a writhing snake coming out of its mouth. The ominous symbol that is whispered about behind closed doors. A foreboding warning of the dark times to come.
Suddenly, a sound breaks through the eerie silence. A low, guttural growl that seems to come from all around them. As the people turn, they see a small group of men dressed in black slowly stalking toward them. Their faces obscured by sinister silver masks that glint under the glow of moonlight.
Leading the group are three Chimaera, baring their razor-sharp teeth. Their glowing eyes fixated on the people before them, sizing up their prey. The smell of burning flesh and the sound of crackling flames mingles with the Chimaera's growls, creating a cacophony of terror as the beasts draw closer.
As the Chimaera begin to move, their massive bodies lurch forward in a terrifying sprint towards the crowd. The terrifying beasts almost seeming to call out to their victims, daring them to become their next meal.