The Place Where Dreams Begin

The rain had stopped at some point, and a gap had opened in the clouds. Sunset afterglow slanted in from the west, dyeing the carriage a warm orange.

The outline of the Scottish Highlands was already faintly visible, dark green mountains rising and falling in the twilight.

A gentle female voice came over the train's speakers, announcing that they would soon arrive at the station and asking all students to gather their luggage and prepare to disembark.

Regulus closed his notebook and put it back inside his robe.

The train sped along the tracks, its wheels striking the rails in a steady rhythm with a "clatter—clatter—".

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The train arrived at exactly seven in the evening.

The night sky was thick with stars. There was no moon, but the starlight was bright enough to illuminate the surging crowd on the platform and the billowing white mist.

Cold, damp air rushed into the carriage, carrying the distinctive scent of the Scottish Highlands—a mingling of earth, pine needles, and magic.

"First-year students! This way!"

A booming voice rang out across the platform, and Regulus followed the crowd off the train.

The platform was packed. Older students streamed toward the waiting carriages, while the new students gathered around a tall figure holding a lantern.

It was Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds. Like a moving mountain, he stood beneath an orange glow that lit up his thick beard and friendly smile.

"Come on, children! Follow me! Watch your step!"

Regulus followed the group of new students down a steep, narrow path.

The path wound through dense woods. The pebbles beneath their feet were slick with moisture, and the darkness was so deep that they could see only the outlines of the robes ahead and the occasional halo of lantern light.

They rounded a bend.

The woods suddenly parted, and the view before them opened wide.

A vast black lake lay before them, its surface as still as a mirror, reflecting the star-filled sky.

And on the cliffs across the lake stood Hogwarts Castle.

Its towers and spires thrust into the night sky like a forest of stone, while warm yellow light shone from its windows, like scattered stars caught within the rock.

The castle glimmered faintly beneath the starlight—ancient, solemn, and mysterious, like an old legend waiting to be entered.

The new students drew a collective breath. Some murmured in amazement, while others excitedly grabbed their companions' arms.

Regulus stood by the lake, looking up at the castle.

He had read countless descriptions of it in books and imagined it countless times in his dreams, but the real Hogwarts was grander, more magnificent, and more mysterious than every description and imagination combined.

It was a dream.

And the place where dreams began.

"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid's voice pulled everyone back to reality. He pointed at a row of small wooden boats moored by the shore. They had no oars, but they could travel on their own.

The new students began boarding in groups. Regulus shared a boat with three unfamiliar boys: a red-haired, freckle-faced boy, probably some Weasley?

The other two were a black-haired boy with a nervous expression and a blond boy who kept straightening his collar.

The little boat glided silently toward the center of the lake.

The lake water was black and bottomless. Something swam beneath the surface, casting huge, slow-moving shadows. Occasionally, a dorsal fin broke the water, gleaming coldly beneath the starlight.

"That's the Giant Squid," the red-haired boy whispered, his voice a mixture of fear and excitement. "My brother said it doesn't hurt people. It even saves little wizards who fall into the water."

The boat suddenly rocked, and everyone grabbed the gunwales.

Regulus remained perfectly steady. He lowered his head to look at the lake, at the moving shadows, and at the starry sky reflected upon the water.

Then he lifted his head and looked once more at the castle drawing ever closer.

Behind its brightly lit windows, he could imagine the scene inside.

Food covered the four House tables. Older students chatted among themselves, while the professors at the Staff Table spoke in low voices.

And on a wooden stool at the end of the Great Hall, that battered old Sorting Hat waited, ready to sing the Hogwarts school song in its unpleasant voice and tune.

The boats reached the shore.

They climbed a flight of stone steps and arrived before a massive Oak Door. Hagrid raised his huge fist and knocked three times.

The door opened.

Professor McGonagall stood inside. She wore dark green robes, her hair swept into a strict bun at the back of her head, and her expression was so stern that she looked as though she were attending a trial.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said, her voice clear and calm, carrying far through the echoes of the hall. "Before you enter the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony, there are a few things I need to explain..."

Regulus stood among the new students and listened as Professor McGonagall explained the House system, the House Cup, and the rules of discipline. His gaze passed through the open doorway into the hall beyond.

Inside the Great Hall, a thousand candles floated in the air. Students filled the four long tables, silverware reflected the candlelight, and the colors of their robes flowed together like rivers.

Scarlet and gold, yellow and black, blue and bronze, green and silver.

At the Staff Table, he saw familiar faces. Dumbledore sat at the center, his blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles gently surveying the noisy little wizards.

Slughorn's large belly protruded before him, and his face was wreathed in smiles.

The diminutive Flitwick sat on a tall chair, conversing with the kindly Sprout beside him.

His gaze swept over the Slytherin table.

Almost everyone sat there with restrained composure, trying hard to maintain an air of noble dignity.

At the Gryffindor table, James Potter sat ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on the entrance.

Sirius sat beside him, not looking toward the door as he spoke with Remus.

Lily Evans sat nearby, excitedly talking about something with a dark-haired girl beside her.

"Now, form a single line," Professor McGonagall said. "Follow me."

The new students nervously straightened their robes and lined up. Regulus stood halfway down the line, with a sniffling girl in front of him and a boy trembling nonstop behind him.

They entered the Great Hall.

Hundreds of eyes fell upon them. Whispers rose and receded like the tide, and Regulus could feel the scrutiny, curiosity, expectation, and disdain within those gazes.

He walked calmly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

At the end of the hall, Professor McGonagall stopped beside a tall stool. On it sat an old, patched, pointed wizard's hat.

It suddenly moved. A slit opened in its brim like a mouth, and then it began to sing.

Its song was ancient and hoarse, recounting the history and traits of the four Houses. Regulus listened, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.

He thought of what had happened on the train, of James's shocked face, of the reverence in Remus's eyes, of Peter's frightened trembling.

He thought of Sirius not speaking to him.

He thought of the starry sky beyond the window.

The song ended, and applause rang through the hall. Professor McGonagall unrolled a long scroll of parchment.

"When I call your name, please step forward and put on the Sorting Hat."

The first name was called. A girl walked forward trembling, and the hat covered her head. A few seconds later, it shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

The yellow-and-black table erupted into applause.

One name after another, one House after another.

Regulus waited.

"Regulus Black!"

The whispers suddenly grew louder. Nearly everyone knew that name. Even Muggle-borns knew that his brother had broken the Black family's five-hundred-year tradition last year by going to Gryffindor.

Everyone was watching to see where this Black would go.

Regulus stepped forward calmly and sat on the stool.

Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

The hat was large, blocking out both his vision and the light.

Then a faint voice sounded directly in his mind:

"Hmm... another Black. Clever, very clever... far more mature than your peers... What are you thinking? Not power, not Glory... You are looking farther ahead... very far..."

Regulus kept his mind calm.

"Ravenclaw would suit your intelligence. You do not lack courage either, but you need to acquire that knowledge... so you'd best go to—"

The hat took a deep breath and shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

The green-and-silver table burst into enthusiastic applause. Rababstan led the clapping, while Avery and Mulciber applauded as well, though their expressions were complicated.

Boos came from the Gryffindor table, led by James, but Sirius made no sound.

Regulus stood and walked toward the Slytherin table, taking a seat beside Rababstan.

"Welcome," Rababstan said.

"Thank you," Regulus replied.

The Slytherins around him all came forward to shake his hand.

The Sorting continued. Regulus watched other familiar names be called and other new students head toward their respective Houses.

But he was no longer paying attention to any of it.

He looked up at the high ceiling of the hall, enchanted to reflect the starry sky outside.

The Milky Way stretched across it, stars scattered densely through its infinite depths.