Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in a seemingly endless desert. Far in the distance, they could just make out a towering Pyramid.
The midday sun hung overhead, scorching the desert. Blasts of searing air blew against their faces, making it difficult for the three of them to breathe.
"Where are we?" Ron looked around uncertainly. They had just stepped through a Light Gate and ended up somewhere like this.
It had looked pretty hot from outside, but once they actually arrived, they discovered that it was not merely hot. The heat was practically unbearable.
What was more, from the other side of the Light Gate, the Pyramid had clearly been right below them, yet after stepping through, they were still a long way from it.
"Huh? Magic doesn't work?" Hermione was struggling under the blazing sun too, feeling as though she was about to be cooked alive. She waved her Wand to create a magical barrier, at least to block out the scorching sun first.
But when she waved her Wand, she discovered that no magic appeared at all.
"Huh?" Ron froze, then flicked his Wand, with equally little effect. He immediately waved it again, this time adding an incantation.
Still, nothing happened.
At the same time, Hermione tried again, and Harry gave it a try too. Yet there was no response whatsoever, as though all their magical power had suddenly vanished.
It was a strange feeling. For a moment, Harry inexplicably felt a sense of unreality.
But it was not their surroundings that felt unreal. After all, both the soft sand beneath their feet and the sunlight hot enough to make their heads swim were utterly real.
Instead, it was magic that felt unreal to him.
When he tried to use magic, he felt no magical power flowing within