This was a great castle located in the Scottish Highlands. Outside lay a broad expanse of grass, flower beds, and vegetable gardens. Beside the castle were a pitch-black lake and a dense, deep forest.
The few isolated greenhouses had now been expanded to cover a considerable area, something that often delighted Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff.
Not far away stood a standard Quidditch pitch. Most wizards gathered there whenever matches were held, but lately, scarcely anyone visited it.
Floating in midair and watching the large group depart, Sean slowly turned his head and studied the magnificent, ancient buildings before him.
From above, he could see Hogwarts Castle's three tallest towers: the Astronomy Tower, Ravenclaw Tower, and Gryffindor Tower. The spire that housed the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance was tall, but far too narrow; from a distance, it looked somewhat like a lightning rod.
Stephanie floated beside Sean, her long silver-white hair drifting in the faint morning breeze. The sun had just risen above the horizon, its rays tracing the edges of her hair with a thin layer of light, as if an angel had just descended.
However, what she said was not nearly so angelic. "Just thinking that Hogwarts, which has stood for a thousand years, is about to cease to exist makes even me feel strangely excited—humanity's urge to destroy really is innate."
Sean shook his head with a laugh. "It's not that serious. I'm only taking Hogwarts away temporarily."
"This land may start questioning its existence," Stephanie said calmly.
"If the surrounding land were conscious, it would probably think its magical giant neighbor had gone on a trip—" Sean said with a smile, raising a hand as a peculiar ripple spread outward.
If ordinary people looked down from the air, they would not