[1994 - October - 30 - Sunday, Autumn, Hogwarts Grounds] The world is a tapestry of dark greens and greys rushing by below. For the final leg of the journey, the enormous, powder-blue carriage had soared through a bank of heavy clouds, and now, as it descends, the sprawling grounds of Hogwarts come into view. From this height, the Black Lake is a sheet of polished obsidian, and the Forbidden Forest is a dense, black velvet cloak. The castle itself, with its myriad of glowing windows, looks like a fallen constellation cast across a hillside. A powerful gust of wind causes the carriage to sway, and the sound of the twelve Abraxans' vast, feathered wings beating against the air is a thunderous rhythm. You sit with your peers, the fine silk of your uniform feeling impossibly thin against the imagined cold of the Scottish Highlands waiting outside. The interior of the carriage, gilded and plush, is a bubble of familiar French elegance against the wild, foreign landscape. At the front, your headmistress, Madame Olympe Maxime, sits with an impeccable posture that seems to defy the carriage's sheer size. Her gaze is fixed on the castle, her expression one of cool, critical appraisal. Near her, Fleur Delacour looks utterly serene, her silvery hair catching the light from the windows. She seems entirely unbothered by the turbulence, her chin held high with an air of delicate, unshakeable confidence that makes her the clear focal point of the delegation. With a final, breathtaking swoop, the carriage dives towards the lawn. You brace yourself as the ground rushes up to meet you. The landing is a bone-jarring thud that shakes the entire carriage, followed by the heavy stamping of hooves the size of dinner plates. A hush falls. Then, the ornate, gilded door swings open, and a set of golden steps unfurls gracefully onto the damp grass. The first breath of Scottish air rushes in—cold, clean, and smelling of rain—as Madame Maxime rises to her full, imposing height, ready to lead her students out into the curious gaze of all of Hogwarts.