The Conjunction of the Spheres was a term used in the wizarding world to describe the merging of two different realms. It was said to have happened twice in recorded history.
The first occurrence was in 1945, right after Dumbledore defeated and imprisoned Grindelwald in Nurmengard. During that time, the sky itself was in chaos—stars shifted position, enormous celestial bodies could be seen moving across the heavens, even in broad daylight.
For four and a half months, the climate was completely unpredictable. A blistering summer afternoon could suddenly turn into a snowstorm within hours. It rained in the Arctic, while egg-sized hailstones fell in the tropical rainforests.
Even the concept of time was affected—some days stretched on for forty hours, while others shrank to a mere twelve.
And strangest of all, new beings and plants appeared in the world. Creatures that had never been recorded before—foreign magical beasts, herbs with unknown properties, and even some sentient beings.
The wizarding world was thrown into turmoil, scrambling to contain these anomalies. Meanwhile, Muggles, already reeling from World War II, were terrified by the strange celestial and climate phenomena. Fortunately, the lack of advanced technology at the time—no easy access to cameras or video recordings—or else, the International Statute of Secrecy might have been irreparably broken.
It had taken months of effort, countless Memory Charms, and strategic interference in Muggle media to cover up the incidents. Even today, traces of that era remained—Muggle reports of bizarre sightings, unexplained disasters, and urban legends that, in reality, were remnants of the Conjunction.
At the mention of all this, Mr. Jiggers let out a chuckle, clearly amused at how much of a headache it must have been for the Ministry of Magic.
Ted suddenly recalled all the odd reports he had seen in old newspapers over the years—articles that seemed ridiculous at the time.
They weren't jokes. They were real.
The second Conjunction of the Spheres happened a decade ago.
Mr. Jiggers leaned in. "The second time it happened was ten years back—right after You-Know-Who was defeated by the Boy Who Lived."
He paused, then asked, "You do know who the Boy Who Lived is, right?"
Ted nodded as he muttered under his breath. "Of course. Harry Potter." Jiggers wasn't able to hear Ted's words.
Mr. Jiggers slapped his knee excitedly. "That's right! It's Neville Longbottom!"
Ted froze. "What?"
His throat felt like it was turning to ash.
Mr. Jiggers nodded confidently. "Thanks to Neville Longbottom, just a little over a year old at the time, You-Know-Who was defeated, bringing an end to the chaos. The second Conjunction of the Spheres happened right after his downfall."
He gestured toward the street. "That's when all these new beings appeared—dwarves, elves, and other magical creatures. Not just them, though—some nastier races, too. Things like murlocs, kobolds, and those nasty, scheming goblins. It's been ten years now."
The tortoise shell in Ted's hands nearly cracked under his grip.
Besides dwarves and elves… sub-human races? Murlocs? Kobolds?
Ted was sweating despite the summer heat. His fingers were ice-cold.
Hell was empty, and all the demons had come out to play. How was the world supposed to function like this?
Wasn't being a transmigrator supposed to be an advantage?
Tears welled up in his eyes—not from sadness, but from sheer frustration. The world had no sympathy for transmigrators. How was he supposed to get ahead when everything he thought he knew was suddenly useless?
Mr. Jiggers was still rambling. "Dwarves and elves are pretty similar to wizards, so they're easier to deal with. That blacksmith shop out there? That's the first ever business run by a non-human race in Diagon Alley! Everyone's out there gawking."
He nudged Ted. "Why don't you go take a look? Work can wait."
Ted stood up, moving stiffly as if in a trance. He walked out of the shop like a ghost, his mind still reeling from what he had just learned.
How was the original story supposed to continue now?
Transmigrators and reincarnators that arrive in the world of Harry Potter all agree on one thing—the greatest advantage was knowing the plot. But if the story had changed this much, then what advantage did he have left?
Boiling with frustration, he made his way to the dwarves' shop.
And sure enough, they were exactly like the ones described in fantasy tales—about 1.3 meters tall, stout-like barrels, with long beards woven with copper rings.
The dwarf running the shop had a booming voice, as if he had cast a permanent Sonorus charm on himself.
Clearly annoyed by the crowd, he huffed, stroking his thick beard. "By the ancestors! I don't know what the elder was thinking, opening a blacksmith shop here! Look at these wizards, staring at us like we're creatures in a bloody zoo!"
His voice rang like a bell, deep and gruff.
Beside him, a female dwarf—short, sturdy, but beardless—sighed. "Keep your voice down. The elder believes we should integrate into wizarding society. Opening a shop is the first step…"
Ted finally managed to steady his thoughts. That afternoon, while browsing the bookstore, he struck up a conversation with the clerk.
"Aaron, do you know of any books that mention the Conjunction?" Ted asked, trying to sound casual.
Aaron smirked knowingly. "You're curious about the Conjunction of the Spheres because of the new dwarf blacksmith shop, aren't you?"
He reached for a stack of books and pulled one out. "Take a look at Fantastic Beasts Appearing in the Past Ten Years – Supplement Edition. It was published just two months ago. Other than that, you'll want to check the latest edition of A History of Magic—the last decade has been eventful."
Aaron shook his head thoughtfully. "Honestly, we still don't know how many new creatures exist in this world that weren't here before. Ten years is hardly enough time to document them all. Who knows what might be lurking in some forgotten valley?"
Ted flipped through Fantastic Beasts Appearing in the Past Ten Years – Supplement Edition, scanning its contents. It cataloged creatures like goblins -- those green goblins that live in caves, kobolds, and even new variations of merfolk.
For now, the Ministry of Magic had classified beings like murlocs, goblins, and kobolds as magical creatures—dangerous ones at that. Most of these beings lacked proper language skills and were openly hostile toward wizards.
In other words, in another world, they'd be considered straight-up monsters.
As for A History of Magic—Ted had barely touched his school textbook, so it wasn't exactly on his reading list. But now, he regretted it. He never expected history to hold such shocking surprises.
Later that afternoon, after work, Ted returned to the Leaky Cauldron.
Old Tom, as always, was behind the counter, polishing oak tankards with a cloth that had seen better days. It seemed like the man would never run out of glasses to clean.
Ted approached the bar and lowered his voice. "Mr. Tom, a new shop opened in Diagon Alley today—the dwarf blacksmith shop. I heard a term I've never come across before: the Conjunction of the Spheres. Could you tell me about it?"
As the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, Old Tom had his ear to the ground. If anyone could confirm the truth of the rumors, it was him.
At the mention of the term, Old Tom paused, looking up from his work. "Ah, the Conjunction of the Spheres… That was a right mess, it was. Happened ten years ago. Plenty of wizards lost their lives to those monsters and strange beings that appeared afterward."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "You see, after the last Conjunction, new creatures and races started appearing in our world."
Ted listened intently as Old Tom recounted tales of elves, dwarves, and other beings from beyond their world. The elves, in particular, seemed to fit the grand image Ted had of them—graceful, powerful in magic, long-lived, and, apparently, wealthy. Wizards had taken a quick liking to them.
"Five years after the second Conjunction, an elven elder was even invited to join the Wizengamot," Old Tom continued. "The Daily Prophet ran articles about it for a whole week."
Ted's eyes widened. The Wizengamot—the highest governing body in the British wizarding world—was an institution even older than the Ministry of Magic itself. Membership was exclusive to the most influential figures in the magical world. For an elf to have secured a place there within just five years was no small feat.
Then came the subject of demihumans.
"Demihumans?" Ted repeated.
"Humans with certain animal traits," Old Tom explained. "Some have ears and tails, fur here and there. They're recognized as a humanoid race by the magical community. Unlike the more dangerous creatures—murlocs, kobolds, goblins—who have a nasty habit of attacking wizards, demihumans are considered 'people.'"
Ted could already imagine the uproar among the pure-blood families. "I take it they're not exactly welcomed with open arms?"
Old Tom let out a dry chuckle. "You bet. Many pure-bloods see them as little better than Muggles—or worse, hybrids. Now, elves? Elves get a free pass. But demihumans? Not so much."
Ted felt his head spinning with all this new information. And that wasn't even getting into the monsters that had entered their world.
"There are too many of them to name," Old Tom admitted. "We could be here all night, and I still wouldn't cover them all."
He reached under the bar and pulled out a thick book. "Here, take this—Magical Creatures You Should Know. It was published just last year. Covers the usual magical creatures, dark beasts, and the ones that showed up after the two Convergences."
Ted accepted the book gratefully.
"Take your time with it," Old Tom said. "No rush to return it."
_________________
Word count: 1623