It did not take long, and the first riders broke through the dense conifers above them....Both held their breath, it seemed.... for what they saw were men - men dressed in medieval robes.

  In Tom's head, his thoughts began to race once more. That creature of darkness had brought them into another time. But why?

  Luna, on the other hand, could not stop marveling; for a moment, she rose up a little to see more, but was immediately pulled back down by Tom.

  "Are you insane!", he hissed, barely audible.

  After a few minutes, they had vanished into the thicket of the forest.

  "Tom, we have traveled through time!", Luna whispered excitedly, while shaking the earth and the leaves from her thin summer dress.

  "Indeed!"

  "What are we supposed to do now? We don't even have a Time-Turner!"

  "I know, Moon. You and I, we will manage to get hold of one somehow. For wizards have existed in every age," he concluded firmly.

  In silence, both continued their way; eventually, as dusk was already beginning to fall, Luna whispered inquiringly, "What year do you think it is?"

  Wordlessly, he looked around the area before answering just as quietly. "I don't know. In any case, several centuries back into the past."

  "Will we ever return?"

  "Yes, Moon, we will. You and I will see to that. But for now, I fear we will spend the night here in the forest."

  "It might be safer. Far away from the people of this time," Luna breathed.

  "Look over there, that spot, you can even see the sky a little. What do you think, Moon?"

  She nodded eagerly. "Now we just have to conjure up a shelter," she ughed softly.

  "A tent. Do you know how to summon a tent?", Tom asked, turning to Luna.

  She thought for a moment. A cool wind blew through the treetops. "I am cold; perhaps we should conjure other clothes for the night."

  With a flick of her wand, her thin summer clothing transformed into a thick, bck fabric. Luna now wore a floor-length dress, kept in the style of the early Middle Ages. Tom also wore men's clothing completely in bck, such as was worn in those days.

  "Brilliantly done, Moon," he called out to her appreciatively.

  "There. And now the tent," she cried, waving her wand again. Before them, a small, inconspicuous white tent appeared. Of course, it was not like the enchanted tents of their time, which were like small apartments on the inside. It was a perfectly normal tent. But better than nothing at all.

  Tom, meanwhile, cleared a rger area in front of the tent of the old leaves that covered the ground everywhere. Then he gathered a few branches that were also scattered all around and piled them together. With a softly murmured spell, he lit a small fire, meant to push back the darkness of the night and the cold outside a little. For the inside of the tent, he would ter cast a warming charm so they would be warm while sleeping.

  Silently, Luna crouched by the softly crackling fire, watching the sparks fly up into the evening.

  The forest around them slowly began to awaken. Smaller animals made their way through the undergrowth. Searching for food.

  Wordlessly, Tom handed Luna a goblet of water he had conjured. Gratefully she drank the water, only now feeling how dry her throat was. Then he offered her some dry bread and an apple. This, too, was thanks to his magical skills.Slowly he let himself sink down beside Luna. Night had fallen quickly, just as Luna had predicted. Their gazes had drifted up between the treetops, where the sky y above them dark, heavy, and overcast with clouds. The nd breathed coldness - coldness and desotion.

  The hours flowed by in the rhythm of time - of the endless worlds she had created. Midnight had awoken, still and quiet, singing its eternal song of the sorrow of men, of the waiting for eternity.

  "Come. Let us go to sleep!", Tom breathed softly.

  All around the small camp, the rustling of animals could be heard under the cover of darkness. Only slowly did she stand up and follow him into the interior of the tent, which was to offer them protection and warmth for tonight.

  Bnkets and a few soft pillows he had already conjured. So they would sleep comfortably tonight. If she would find any sleep at all...Her thoughts circled incessantly around the question of what had become of her Mel and the Director. Neither of them was here. So the creature must have left them there. Such was Luna's hope.

  "Brooding is of no use, my little Moon," Tom's gentle voice rang out close to her ear, as he breathed a sensual kiss onto the curve of her neck before pulling her down to him, under the covers.

  Tucked close against him she y there, listening to the beat of his heart. Eventually, both had drifted into a restless sleep, haunted by dark dreams and beings ancient and powerful from times long gone.

  It was still early in the morning when both awoke. Outside, a heavy, dense fog hung between the trees; the air was stifling.

  After a small meal, which again consisted of bread and an apple, their little sleeping pce vanished with a flick of a wand. Quietly and deliberately, they made their way through the dense forest. Their gazes were always alert to their surroundings. The world had grown still. After a while, Tom discovered a beaten path. Cautiously they trod upon it. A few hours must have already passed; the cloud cover had meanwhile been pierced by the light of the sun in some pces. And the rays very gently warmed the nd.

  After a certain time, the dense, tall trees thinned out, and before them y a ft nd bordered by acres and fields. Not far from them, city walls could be discerned.

  "What do you think?", Luna whispered, nodding toward the small town.

  "We can take a look; then perhaps we will also find out exactly where we are," he replied, and both set off.

  Shortly before reaching the city gate, Luna began to feel uneasy; nevertheless, she walked on without a word.

  The city gate was deserted. Not a guard to be seen anywhere. Instead, there were agitated voices that seemed to be coming from the center of the town.

  Tom had to swallow hard for a moment, but he could not help but go on - further and further - just as if there were no turning back... neither for him nor for her....

  Suddenly, thick clouds of smoke rose up to the sky.....As if an invisible power were driving him, he began to run - further and further - straight into death and darkness...

  Luna hurried after him, barely able to keep up. The alleys in the town were empty.

  Then they reached the market square - the center of the town.....

  To the loud shouts, screams had now been added....

  As if frozen, they stopped short.....

  A screaming such as Tom had never heard before filled the air - piercing all the way up to the sky....

  He had no words for the horror that presented itself to him.... simply because there were none for it.... because NOTHING on this earth could describe it.

  Nothing - nothing could describe this horror - could describe how infinitely agonizing the screaming of those sounded who were burning alive before his eyes - burning for something they had never done.

  Involuntarily, the school lessons went through his head..... they had, of course, covered this era. The teachers had even made fun of the fact that a real witch or wizard was never caught anyway. And if they were, that they had protected themselves from the fmes with a charm. Literally, it was written in the book that they had to stifle their ughter while mimicking the screams of death by fire, so that it would seem real to the simple-minded Muggles....

  He, too, had ughed at this stupidity...

  Laughed because he himself had never seen it.... had never experienced the horror....

  Something died in his bck soul - and something was born of which he would never have believed.

  WRATH so hot - so pure and clear, that even the sun seemed small against it.

  LIGHT so hot - so pure and clear, that even the sun was a nothingness against it, formed in his hands....

  A massive wave of glistening light shot across the square....An unimaginable screaming of hundreds of people echoed far across the nd.....

  Author's NoteIn silent memory of the countless victims of the witch hunts. May their souls find justice on the Day of Judgment.

  ATTENTION – IMPORTANT! The part where wizards who were accidentally caught made fun of the Muggles while being "burned" is not something I just made up. I recall reading this directly on Pottermore (Wizarding World). In the official lore, it is mentioned that they used Fme-Freezing Charms and even found the experience quite ticklish.I wanted to show how stark the contrast is between those arrogant descriptions and the brutal, agonizing reality that Tom and Luna are witnessing here.