"What do we do now?"
Harry crouched blankly beside the bridge outside the town, his fingers absently trailing through the stream.
The icy sensation of the water running over his fingers made him shiver. A gentle breeze drifted past, carrying the damp chill of the stream and seeming to instantly disperse the oppressive heat from the blazing sun overhead.
But none of it eased the panic and helplessness in Harry's heart.
Where am I now?
What am I doing?
Is all of this real?
There were no answers to any of those questions. In fact, ever since he had left Fairy Tale Town and fallen into this place, he could no longer tell reality from illusion.
For example, the stream before him, the mud beneath his feet, the sunlight above his head, and... the bustling, clamorous town not far away.
Could he have been transferred out of Hogwarts by some kind of magic without realizing it, arriving in some Muggle or wizarding town?
At that thought, Harry straightened slightly and cautiously poked half his head over the embankment.
Several dozen feet away lay a scene brimming with life. A dirt road extending from the bridge ran through the town, with rows of low houses on either side. Countless people moved up and down the road; some chatted with one another, while others shouted in arguments.
Vendors had set up stalls and cried out their wares. Carriages rumbled down the street, while a line of dancers glided past, their heels tapping out a rhythmic beat.
It looked like an ordinary, lively little town. The only problem was that those "people" were all carved from stone!
It was as though statues had suddenly come to life.
Harry tightly covered his mouth to keep himself from making a sound and attracting the stone