This was a stretch of coast with no gentle beach. The land rose like mountains, standing sheer as cliffs.
Vaughn walked to the edge and looked down. A land bridge extended beneath the vertical cliff, and the coastline where it met the sea was covered in jagged rocks. The tide crashed against them, exploding into great sprays of white foam. Wild, frigid winds swept up the airborne mist and hurled it into his face amid the roar of the waves.
Farther out, the dark, silent sea stretched all the way to the horizon. The sky was equally gloomy, choked with heavy clouds. In the distance, a few shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone upon the vast, boundless sea. Other than the dark water, there was nothing.
After studying the coastal terrain, Vaughn quickly identified it. "The western coast of Ireland?"
Three sides around Scotland were lined with island chains, making it the easiest to distinguish. England's coastline was comparatively gentle, and only the area around Devon had similarly steep terrain. But Vaughn had lived in Devon since childhood and was already familiar with its coast.
Wales's maritime terrain was even easier to identify.
After ruling out those directions, only Ireland remained. Ireland's south had island chains, while its northern and eastern coasts were straight, with the undulating shelf mountains of Wales faintly visible in the distance.
Yet none of that could be seen here.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley." While Vaughn had been examining the terrain, Kreacher had managed to recover a little strength. He hobbled over and said, "This is in southwestern Ireland. Kreacher once heard—heard the Dark Lord say that this was the place farthest from Hogwarts."
"Heh."
Vaughn gave a scornful laugh.
It was indeed far from Hogwarts. The Scottish Highlands, where Hogwarts was located, lay