Families hugged, trunks rattled, owls screeched from their cages. Amidst the chaos, two boys stood apart from the tide of farewells, shoulder to shoulder like a wall.

The taller one had dark, rumpled hair and a jaw that could cut glass. He leaned against the train’s carriage, hands shoved deep into his pockets, watching the crowd with heavy-lidded eyes. His brother—shorter by a breath, with the same sharp features but a lighter step—was already grinning at a passing group of first-years.