Chapter 13: Where Dreams Begin
The rain had stopped without anyone noticing. Cracks opened in the cloud cover and the last light of sunset slanted in from the west, dyeing the compartment a warm orange.
The silhouette of the Scottish Highlands was already faintly visible — dark green mountains rising and falling in the dusk.
A gentle female voice came over the train's broadcast, announcing that the train would be arriving shortly and asking all students to gather their belongings.
Regulus closed his notebook and tucked it back inside his robe.
The train hurtled along the tracks, wheels striking rail joints in a steady rhythm — clack-clack, clack-clack.
It arrived at exactly seven o'clock.
The night sky blazed with stars. There was no moon, yet the starlight was bright enough to illuminate the bobbing heads and billowing steam on the platform.
Cold, damp air surged into the carriage, carrying the distinctive Highland blend of earth, pine needles, and magic.
"First-years! This way!"