Hogsmeade was bustling.
People filled the narrow streets. Voices mixed together, and laughter floated easily as the day began to wind down. Shop windows glowed warmly, packed with goods that shimmered, jumped, spun, or simply sat there like they were important. The air was thick with the scents of sugar, butter, ink, and wood smoke, familiar yet strange.
The sun hung low now, just above the rooftops, casting a soft golden light over the village. Long shadows stretched across the cobblestones. In the distance, high on the hill, Hogwarts Castle stood out against the sky, its dark stone catching the last rays of day.
Amber stopped walking.
"Oh," she said quietly.
Wayne followed her gaze. "That's Hogwarts."
She stared for a long moment, eyes wide, then smiled. "It looks unreal."
"It feels real enough once you're inside," Wayne said.
They moved forward with the crowd. Amber slowed immediately, captivated by everything around her. A vendor selling enchanted scarves waved one at her, the fabric changing color as it fluttered. Another stall displayed floating trinkets that bobbed gently in place. Someone passed by carrying a crate of chirping objects that Amber wisely didn't ask about.
"This is unfair," she said. "There's too much."
Wayne chuckled softly. "You'll survive."
They entered Honeydukes first. The shop was bright and loud, shelves overflowing with sweets of every kind. Amber pressed close to the glass jars, pointing at things that moved on their own.
"That one blinked," she said.
"Don't trust it," Wayne replied.
She bought far more than she needed and left, arms full and smiling.
Next was Gladrags Wizardwear. Robes floated nearby, adjusting slightly as people passed by. Amber touched one sleeve, surprised by its warmth.
"It's warm," she said.
"It remembers the wearer," Wayne explained.
They didn't buy anything there, but Amber kept glancing back through the window as they left.
Outside, the sky deepened to orange and pink. Lanterns flickered to life, one by one. Hogwarts looked closer now, darker, and more solid.
As they passed Tomes & Scrolls, a shopkeeper glanced up, paused, and gave Wayne a slow nod of recognition. Nothing was said. Wayne returned the nod without stopping.
Amber noticed but didn't ask.
They stopped briefly at The Three Broomsticks. The air inside was warm and noisy. Amber tried Butterbeer and declared it "dangerously good." They didn't stay long.
When they stepped back outside, Wayne slowed.
He sensed something.
It felt like a shift in pressure, faint but clear. A presence forming. Someone about to step out from a narrow alley nearby. Wayne turned his head slightly, his eyes scanning the shadowed space between two buildings.
He knew who it was not.
He knew what it was not.
No threat. No urgency.
He let it go.
Amber tugged at his sleeve. "That shop," she said, pointing toward a window filled with magical plants. "Those are moving."
"Dogweed and Deathcap," Wayne said. "They bite."
She pulled back her hand immediately. "Good to know."
They kept walking, the crowd thinning a bit as the light faded. Children dashed past them, laughing. A wizard loudly argued with a shopkeeper about prices. Somewhere, an owl swooped into the sky.
Wayne felt eyes on him again, briefly. Another pause. Another look. Someone remembered him.
Not enough to speak.
Amber looked up at him. "You've been quiet."
"Just thinking," he said.
"About what?"
He smiled. "About how much you're enjoying this."
She laughed. "I am. I feel like I'm supposed to be overwhelmed, but instead, I just want to see everything."
"You have time," Wayne said. "Hogsmeade isn't going anywhere."
They reached the edge of the village, where the crowd thinned and the view opened up. The castle stood tall now, silhouetted against the darkening sky. The sun dipped behind the hills, leaving the stone dark and steady.
Amber stood beside him, quiet.
"It's beautiful," she said.
"Yes," Wayne replied.
He glanced once more toward the alley.
The presence was still there.
Waiting.
Wayne sighed softly, then spoke in a calm, even voice.
"You can come out now," he said. "Let's talk."
The air shifted and gradually settled.