2099

The economy booming and the world’s image of the British Ministry of Magic on the rise, it was beginning to feel like there was just no striking out for Minister for Magic, Charles Hollingberry, and his department head team. The Ministry got the ball rolling with its annual orientation event held at the Shrunken Head Bowling Alley. There were no dragon shaped fireworks this go around (all threats against Senior Undersecretary January Bones had ceased and the case was now a cold one) and the only things knocked over were pins as team ‘10 Pins to Gryffindor!’ took home the night’s top prize - though it was rumored that a few of the shrunken heads were a bit more unruly than usual.

Work back in session, things seemed mostly uneventful save for the influx of reports regarding identity theft and missing passports that the Department of International Magical Cooperation was fielding at the Ministry. But as March began waning, curious things began occurring. First was the case of a few missing rock shaped pillows (still to be recovered) from the Department of Mysteries’ Decompression Chamber, which left several Unspeakables unsettled in light of the sudden appearance of a rock golem last year. Meanwhile in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement a magical deadzone inexplicably occurred in in their exercise room, while the cooling charms in the Department of Magical Games and Sports malfunctioned (at some point it even began to snow), and the interdepartmental memos in the Minister’s Office suddenly lost their ability to fly. This was followed by another magical deadzone manifesting itself in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and the Fountain of Magical Brethren going haywire and attempting to take out the Minister. The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes was contacted after each incident and, upon inspection, the maintenance team seemingly rectified each of the magical mishaps - although some instances surprisingly sorted themselves out. Surely, these mishaps were nothing more than a small hiccup in outdated charmswork...right?

Meanwhile, Minister Hollingberry received alarming news from Hogwarts Headmaster Malachi Trent, regarding the disappearance of two students and the appearance of an ominous and fear inducing mist that had overtaken the school grounds and trapped Hogwarts’ faculty and students inside the castle. Assuming the cause to be an unnatural weather phenomenon, a team from the Department of Environmental Regulation and Protection (DERP) was deployed to investigate and bring back samples for further analysis. However, upon arrival it soon became apparent that DERP was in over their heads. Led by department head Olly Emmons-Clarke, the entire team (consisting of Archer Burton, Lucille Pembrooke, Caroline Norton, Alexander Pappadeaux, Katrina Belrose, Q. Alvey, Mariana Medina, Elizabeth Wright, Alberta Bowman, and Laleh Kiani) administered Bubblehead Charms to themselves in hopes of counteracting the effects of the mist. A defensive measure that would prove fruitless the moment they stepped through the Hogwarts entrance gates. Frozen from fright, Botany Division Head Archer Burton was nearly snatched away by unknown shapes in the mist, but was fortunately saved by some sharp wandwork from his colleagues Alvey, Bowman, and Medina. Emmons-Clarke herself was nearly taken as well and the entire team escaped by the skin of their teeth, thanks to the emergency portkeys provided by the Department of Magical Transportation. The field team all made it back in one piece but only time will tell if the outing will leave any lasting marks.

DERP’s investigation findings were inconclusive as to the source of the mist, although the collected samples did provide the evidence necessary to entirely rule out any sort of environmental issue - magical or otherwise. Several months later, the situation at Hogwarts turned more dire as the school was evacuated and come September a second investigation team, combining the efforts of the Departments of Magical Law Enforcement, Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, and the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures, was sent in. Led by department heads Alexa Cambridge, Eliora Dodderidge, and James Draper, immediate observations were that the mist had receded somewhat and granted the team easier command of Hogwarts’ grounds. The air still thick with uncertainty, YATI Ronan Carter eventually discovered the body of Kamryn Keighley (one of the missing Hogwarts students) blanketed by Hogwarts foliage, while Hit Wizard Jake Upstead found the body of Thadius Potter in the same earthy blanket just a few yards off.

Cautioned to leave them at rest where they lay (although the students’ remains would be retrieved and returned to their families immediately afterwards), the team proceeded forward and eventually divided up into two units. Led by Dodderidge, one unit consisting of DMAC employees Bambi Ackerly, Ursula Agan, Megan Baines, Derek Meriwether, and Grayson Whitlock, remained outside to collect further samples from the vegetation and inspected the area for curses and other forms of magical malpractice. The results here would likewise prove inconclusive, leading most to assume creature involvement. The other unit, led by Cambridge and Draper and made up of MLE employees Simon Bennett, Emilia Espinosa, Bryony Keighley, Matthew Meriwether, Benzi Rider, Evangeline Shacklebolt, Amrita Sandhu, and Jake Upstead & DMC employees Bryson Addams, Darej Patterson, Albert Morgenstern, and Caleb Queen, proceeded inside Hogwarts. Once inside the Entrance Hall, mist began billowing in from the dark corners and down the stairwell. In the fearful fray that followed, it was revealed that the true culprit behind the mist was a massive boggart infestation, the size of which the wizarding world had never seen. Though able to fend off and even capture a few, the boggarts' numbers were too vast and a retreat was ordered by Cambridge.

With the mystery of the mist solved, it was beginning to look promising that the Minister would be able to fully resolve the situation once a boggart removal plan was solidified back at the Ministry.

However, another pressing issue soon arose. Sightings of various magical creatures who had fled from Hogwarts amidst the boggwart infestation appeared all over Diagon Alley and Muggle London. While a herd of unicorns found themselves craving ice cream, a group of centaurs ended up rampaging through the Leaky Cauldron. The Ministry was further alerted by owl (literally) to the presence of a small herd of acromantula in the Diagon Alley playground. Magical Transportation department head Kendra Jordan-Durand and French diplomat Valentin Roux responded to a distressed Owl Post owl in the Atrium and arrived on the scene just as Michael Cambridge was bringing two children (Emmerson Cambridge and Ezra Upstead) to safety by way of disapparation. Still at the scene were Owl Post shopkeeper Zachaël Lufkin, local artisan Helena Smithfield, and freelance extraordinaire Vitaliy Sedaka who assisted Ministry personnel in the successful containment of the beasts. With more of the Forbidden Forest creatures elsewhere and Muggles alerted by the appearance of thestrals at Trafalgar Square as well as bowtruckles in St. James's Park, however, the Ministry now had its hands full with a nationwide containment effort.

2100

Both the Department for the Control & Regulation of Magical Creatures and the Department of Magical Accidents & Catastrophes had their hands full during the holiday shut down of the Ministry of Magic. With magical beasts roaming all over the British countryside and losing themselves in muggle cities, it was no rest for the weary as resources were allocated towards the containment effort. Thankfully through the combined efforts of the two departments under the leadership of department head newcomer Zhuó Xiá Li and veteran Eliora Dodderidge, the creatures were eventually captured and brought to the Ministry until proper accommodations could be found and all breaches in the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy were swiftly dealt with.

Though the effort was on-going, the crisis level had diminished to one permitting the Ministry to host a Centennial Celebration in the Atrium to welcome in the new year of 2100. Open to the public, the gala boasted a silent auction with items donated by Diagon Alley’s Florean Fortescue's, Madam Malkins Robes for All Occasions, Paradise Piercings & Tattoos, the Owl Post, Quidditch Quality Supplies, and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes as well as the department heads' own time up for bid - a priceless opportunity. Proceeds from the auction were allocated to the restoration effort Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would require once all boggarts were safely removed from the premises as well as towards the budget for the care and maintenance of magical creatures who had been uprooted from Hogwarts’ grounds. Overall, a successful and profitable evening; it seemed as though 2100 was starting off on the right foot.

Operations resumed at the Ministry and the most pressing matter was the meticulous planning of a third and, hopefully, final mission to Hogwarts to remove the boggart infestation once and for all. However, a growing unrest brewed within the department head team as each mentioned in passing the uncanny feeling that they were being watched. As though they were being followed, stalked, by an entity that seemed to vanish the moment their head turned to look. Paranoia or something more sinister at work? Furthermore, the Department of International Magical Cooperation continued to report curious cases of identity theft all across wizarding Europe. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement could find no leads, however, and so the disturbances were left to simmer in the backs of the minds of the wizarding world’s leaders.

Coincidentally, or perhaps not so coincidentally, a few mysterious occurrences began manifesting themselves around the Ministry. The first taking place in the Chamber of Codes, where both important artifacts and delicate Ministry records are stored for research and safekeeping. A mysterious code of unknown origin began printing itself from the Lorenz Cipher-like device in the room, and Unspeakables Laurel Vance-Rose and Adam Gerulf were unable to translate it. Even department head, Airey Flamsteed, was at a loss and had everything documented and sealed away for future research by the department's Chroniclers. Meanwhile, the lifts within the Ministry, an essential transportation hub for efficient movement between levels, too began to malfunction despite efforts from maintenance and time, and time, and time, and time, and time, AND TIME AGAIN the enchantments on the interdepartmental flying memos appeared to be faulty. Bursting into flames, attacking employees in a (sometimes) fiery nosedive, or seeming to just vanish from where they ought to be going...these little purple paper memos were proving to be more effort than they were worth. Their lack of providing any efficient means of communication led the Ministry's administration to look into other options during the short winter break.

The Ministry was not only plagued with dysfunctional charms and human paranoia this year, however, and in May a third and final mission to Hogwarts was launched by the departments of Transportation, Mysteries, and the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures. Minister for Magic, Charles Hollingberry, and Magical Transportation department head, Kendra Jordan-Durand, had previously talked about innovative ways of catching and luring the boggarts safely away from Hogwarts. The plan was simple: a series of portkeys would be created, using yosegi puzzles boxes which would attract boggarts to hide within them and once inside the box, they would then immediately be sent into a Ministry holding tank. Participating employees from all three departments underwent a series of rigorous training exercises beforehand, both as refresher courses in battling boggarts as well as in handling these new modified emergency puzzle box portkeys.

The team assembled and led by Jordan-Durand consisted of Mysteries department head, Airey Flamsteed, and Unspeakables Andrea Gonzales, Valeray McLeod, Laurel Vance-Rose, and Freyja Westergaard; Magical Transportation employees Chloe Adara, Tatiana Chernova, Rebecca Davies, Grae Fairfield, and Yasmin Golshiri; and Creatures department head, Li, and employees Bryson Addams, Sloane Eris, Darej Patterson, and Caleb Queen.

While the team faced some opposition from the boggarts who had become comfortable in their new home within Hogwarts castle, they were ultimately successful in the removal of all boggarts and restoring the castle for human occupancy in the coming 2100-2101 school year.

The Ministry also opened its doors to the wizarding youth, the future of the wizarding world, with the unique opportunity of working as an intern during the summer months.

2101

The year 2101 began with a song and a dance as the Ministry hosted its annual new year's party and orientation celebration. This year's fiesta was a karaoke night, held in the Underground Coffee Club. After singing their cares away, Ministry employees showed up to work the next day only to be serenaded by a new sound... the screeching of owls.

In Knockturn Alley, two new faces (Alphonsine Rosier and Sebastijan Grimmson) made their appearance at Moribund's Pub and were join later by known petty thief, Jack Roller (who had been seen previously at Slugs and Jiggers making purchases, some of the groceries that Rosier and Grimmson spoke of). Cleverly veiled in coded conversation, the trio discussed an exchange and future plans soon to be put into motion. Meanwhile at Janus Galloglass, Lucien Rosier and Esmee Carrow met to inspect mirror options for their purposes. Finding what they were looking for, Lucien parted ways with Esmee with some choice words: "For the greater good."

Remember the flaming interdepartmental memos from last year? Well, the Ministry found a solution to this vital interoffice communication chain: use owl post! Of course, relying upon a parliament of owls to deliver every memo has its drawbacks too, as owls bring more excitement to the workplace than paper airplanes do. After dropping their feces and feathers everywhere they fly, getting themselves caught in unfamiliar spaces, and causing mayhem throughout the workday, it became clear by the end of 2101 that these owls were not going to be a permanent solution to the unreliable memos of yesteryear.

The owls were not the only malfunctioning annoyance in the Ministry, though, as one morning, the Ministry floos and lifts stopped working altogether.

A fifth member of what is clearly a sinister and elite team, Simone Krafft, made her presence known by kidnapping not one, but three department heads in broad daylight and completely undetected. The first was Senior Undersecretary January Bones as she ran errands in Diagon Alley. The second Mysteries department head Airey Flamsteed while he had lunch in Trafalgar Square. The third Accidents and Catastrophes department head Eliora Dodderidge while she had a coffee and walked along Charing Cross Road to a yoga session. The curious thing about it all was that all three of these individuals appeared at work at the Ministry the same day and as if nothing had happened. There were some curious behavioral changes however...

Things went from bad to worse on the 24th of September, a day which shall go down in history as the moment of a mass outbreak at Azkaban prison. As explosions rocketed through the structure, some prisoners made to grab wands from wizard and YATI guards, while others escaped the premises of the prison altogether. Department of Magical Law Enforcement Head Alexa Cambridge lead the charge into the fray, beginning the search for the suspect warden while Aurors Jake Upstead, Emilia Espinosa, Evangeline Shacklebolt-Toussaint, Bryony Keighley, Simon Bennett, Penelope Grimm, Ronan Carter, and Angelo Toussaint secured the premises and began rounding up prisoners. Casualties from the outbreak included, unexpectedly, Cambridge herself, as she was suddenly kidnapped straight from the warden's office.

Meanwhile, Azkaban escapees showed up in Diagon Alley to immediately begin causing the same brand of trouble that had initially imprisoned them. Ollivander's, Madame Malkin's, Gringott's, a butterbeer cart, the fountain, and the Leaky Cauldron were just a few of the targets of the mad escapees. Ollivander's was arguably hit the worst, as several prisoners attacked wandmaker Ramiel Skeres with a crowbar and armed themselves with wands. Upon hearing the Ollivander's alarm at the Ministry of Magic, Junior Undersecretary Duncan Fletcher apparated to the wand shop to stop further damage from being done to the wandmaker or his precious merchandise. With the assistance of Auror Grace Hensley, Kenmare Kestrels Chaser Zinnia Shacklebolt, and St. Mungo's Healer Rafael Harden, Skeres was saved from the brink of death and sent to St. Mungo's for further recovery. Most prisoners who were foolish enough to cause trouble in Diagon Alley were rounded up by passerby or Ministry employees in the vicinity of the Alley. At the fountain in Diagon Alley, Azkaban escapees attacked Unspeakable Hazen Krum and girlfriend Amaia Calderón while Lucien Rosier looked on from the sidelines. A familiar exchange of looks was exchanged between Rosier and one of the escapees before both disappeared from the scene.

In the midst of the assault on Diagon Alley, Jack Roller met with three Azkaban escapees at King's Cross Station to distribute stolen identification. The very same stolen identification that had plagued the Department of International Magical Cooperation for some time now.

After two months of disappearing without a trace, Law Enforcement Head Cambridge was rescued on a fluke by passerby Dante Zabini. The DMLE arrested American thief and fraudster Jack Roller for her kidnapping. Roller was apprehended and held in the DMLE cells, as the departments of Magical Law Enforcement and International Cooperation worked together to determine if he should be extradited to the States for trial while also working to round of the remaining escapees.

The Daily Prophet reported on the assault on Diagon Alley.

2102

With repair efforts well underway to refortify Azkaban prison in light of the mass break out months prior, Magical Law Enforcement (now under the leadership of Evangeline Shacklebolt) continued their efforts in rounding up escapees and returning them to their cells. With no clear leads as to how the breakout had occurred in the first place, it could only be assumed that it was an inside job - but how?

While the mysterious and ominous circumstances surrounding the breakout and subsequent assault on Diagon Alley hung in the air, the Ministry kicked off the 2102 year with a Greenhouse Party hosted by the Department of Environmental Regulation and Protection in celebration of a Corpse Flower blooming. The event marked the first appearance of Alphonsine Rosier (previously spotted in Knockturn Alley with Sebastijan Grimmson) who had been hired by the likewise newly appointed Senior Undersecretary Duncan M. Fletcher III. The evening went off without a hitch, though department heads Eliora Dodderidge and Airey Flamsteed continued to act rather out of character.

Though relatively quiet around the Ministry with things moving as usual, the continued malfunction of the floos and lifts along with the added presence of owls for interdepartmental communications created an underlying tension felt by all. Tension continued to mount as the trial for Jack Roller drew closer. Held in Courtroom 10, the Ministry's largest courtroom and reserved for only the most serious of trials, Jack Roller was charged for numerous crimes before the Wizengamot and a jury consisting of civilians Aditya Atreyu-Rehman, Lyssa McKellar, Leobald Kitridge, Euphrasia Kruus, Eureka Russ, Ziggy Song, and Rula Van Hutton. Roller soon caused disturbances during the trial, denying a majority of the counts against him and demanded he have his own lawyer. Minister Charles Hollingberry presented evidence to the court that Roller had indeed signed away his right to further representation of his own accord, in front of himself and several witnesses. Former MLE department head, Alexa Cambridge, was called to testify against Roller and confirmed his involvement. Roller continued to deny the claims, citing his own stupidity as evidence that he was incapable of pulling off such schemes. Auror Ronan Carter suspected Roller to have been placed under the Imperius Curse, and rose from his seat in the audience to approach the Minister mid-trial and request a postponement. However, there was no time for the Minister to even entertain the idea as suddenly the courtroom was engulfed by darkness, save for a flash of green light. When the lights returned moments later, Roller was found dead on the floor.

With the arrival of the American Ambassador Hilary Pen, who was hoping to have Roller extradited back to America, and the courtroom erupting into chaos, the Minister placed Head of Security Simon Bennet in charge of securing the area and weighing everyone's wands with Prior Incantato before they left the courtroom, in an attempt to find the culprit who had cast the Killing Curse. Rosier, who had been acting as Scribe for the trial, escorted the Minister from the courtroom without having her own wand weighed. Despite Bennet and his team's efforts, the culprit was not found; the truth about Roller's death, and surrounding circumstances, remained a mystery.

Following the trial and murder of Roller, mysterious and unremoveable graffiti began appearing around Diagon Alley, composed of the unnerving message 'For the Greater Good' accompanied by the sign of the Deathly Hallows. Law Enforcement were quick to note that the first two locations were also severely hit during the attack on Diagon Alley a year prior, which felt too pointed to be purely coincidental. Despite continued investigations, all leads regarding who may have painted these symbols led to dead ends.

In July, the Department of Magical Games and Sports hosted the third annual Winged Horse Festival at Fletwock Stadium where young and old alike could meet with riders and their steeds to get to know more about creature and sport alike. Soon after the afternoon race completed, Screwt Blast clenching victory, an Azkaban escapee showed up at the event and sent red sparks at several of the horses, causing a stampede of these majestic creatures. Thankfully none of the winged horses were seriously injured in the fray that followed, and the man who had disrupted the family day was caught and returned to Azkaban.

Meanwhile, back the the Ministry, Airey Flamsteed's unnatural behavior (not exclusive to the longing looks he cast towards Alphonsine Rosier every time they were in the same space) continued to intensify, until it resulted in a dangerous situation between himself and Unspeakable David Truebridge in the Chamber of Codes. Stumbling upon his department head while the man was searching furiously for something among the records and artefacts, Truebridge saw as Flamsteed's features began melting off, only ceasing once the man drank the contents from a phial he retrieved from the pocket of his robes. Concerned that his former professor may be dying, Truebridge's concerns were silenced and he was then ordered to continue helping the department head in his cataloging of artefacts. The pair found a chest, with an intricate series of binding runes serving as a lock, from the year 2020, which triggered something dark and sinister in the department head. Locking the door, Flamsteed threatened Truebridge and, when the young man would not comply, placed him under the Imperius Curse. As the bind runes on the chest demanded a blood sacrifice, Truebridge was forced to cut his finger and offer his own blood to the chest, which opened to reveal the Elder Wand* nestled inside. The wand now in his possession, Flamsteed moved to cast Avada Kedavra on Truebridge and tie up all loose ends when something inside him battled against this heartless tactic, and he cast Obliviate instead. Strengthened by the Elder Wand, the spell knocked Truebridge unconscious and Flamsteed left him on the floor of the Chamber of Codes, where he was later discovered by fellow Unspeakable Luther Holt. Truebridge had no recollection of how he had come to be in the chamber in the first place, nor what had happened here.

As September rolled in, Alphonsine's access to the Senior Undersecretary's office as the receptionist to Level One allowed for Lucien Rosier to slip in undetected and utilize the direct floo found there to travel to Headmaster Trent's office at Hogwarts. He kidnapped the man and assumed his identity, in order to search for something hidden in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.

Also of note, the graffiti, previously only found in Diagon Alley, began appearing inside the Ministry as well. On Level One, Kodee Chosen, formerly the personal assistant to Senior Undersecretary Fletcher, was demoted to janitorial duties following some behavioral issues, and Alphonsine Rosier was promoted in his place.

* there are discrepancies between the Harry Potter films and books as to the fate of the Elder Wand. SS canon will be sticking with book canon and the subsequent accepted canon material found in the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage production.