The Return Trip

At eight the next morning, they arrived at the Hogsmeade Teleportation Point on time.

Isabelle was already waiting there in a dark blue Confederation uniform, a Technical Group badge pinned to her chest. An equipment case and a travel bag sat beside her. She nodded as Harry and Cassandra approached.

"Morning. The teleportation point's been calibrated. Someone will meet us on the other end."

Harry wore the backpack he had packed with a heavy coat and books. Cassandra wore a thick light gray coat and carried a canvas bag. They stood together at the center of the teleportation point.

Isabelle activated the Teleportation Anchor. Light flared, then faded, and the stone beneath Harry's feet became hard, frozen ground. The air turned sharply colder.

He opened his eyes to find himself standing in the corridor of a stone building.

Beyond the window lay a gray-white sky and a distant range of mountains. A thin layer of snow covered the roof. The air was cold and clear, and his breath formed a white cloud before dispersing.

Cassandra stood beside him, looking around. She turned up her coat collar to cover half her face.

"Colder than Hogwarts," she said.

Isabelle walked ahead and checked the supply arrangements with the local Contact Point staff. Then she turned to them. "Let's settle in at the Contact Point first. The Technical Group has marked the Fluctuation Center's location. We can make an initial visit this afternoon."

The Contact Point was an old stone house by the sea. Its interior had been renovated to include several rooms and a small kitchen.

Harry and Cassandra were given a room farther inside, with a window facing the bay.

The furnishings were simple. A faded nautical chart hung on the wall, showing the nearby coastline and islands.

Cassandra set down