1 September 1991 - "[He] was really beautiful. He was handsome — this orphan, this foundling, this outcast."

I stepped onto the carpet and felt a mixture between anxiety and excitement fluttering in my stomach.  Magic I was used to compared to Iggy... but the distance between us and the ocean definitely gave me a fright.  I took a deep breath and clenched my jaw as the carpet glided downwards.  "This isn't too bad..." I said, happy that it was a gradual decline instead of something a little more steep.

The slow decline down the side of the cliff made for a spectacular view over the Atlantic, what with the moon and stars reflecting down on it and the clouds blue and wispy in the night sky. Right as I blinked, though, I noticed that instead of a cliff behind it, there was a set of massive windows that dropped down to the rocky floor below. We were looking into what looked like a large banquet hall, where several hundreds of other students were already seated, chattering about amongst themselves.

As my eyes swept across the view, I noticed that the school was built right into the side of the cliff. There were spires and pillars carved with intricate moulding at the top and bottom. It was like looking at Mount Rushmore, except that instead of large faces of ex-presidents, there was a castle there - and, judging by the looks of things, a castle that had been there for quite a long time.

I had been paying more attention to the ocean rather than the sight in front of us.  When I turned to speak to Iggy about the beautiful water when I realized he was no longer looking over the edge of the magic carpet, but instead at the side of the cliff.  What was so fascinating about that?  Then I followed his gaze and understood completely.  "Wow," I said, even though that was a complete understatement.

The floor-to-ceiling windows, which had to be at least four stories tall, glowed golden with the light from within. I squinted, trying to peer inside the windows to see what was bustling inside the banquet hall; I had to assume that it was other students preparing for our entrance.

"Totally," I mused, hardly paying any attention to the Atlantic at this point. "Do you see what I see?"

My mouth had fallen open as I gaped towards the hidden castle.  When Iggy spoke, I turned to look at him, closing my mouth as to not look daft.  "It's wicked," I said, my excitement in my voice rather evident.  There was no use hiding my awe as it was clear to me that Iggy was feeling the same way as I was.

As the carpet continued to descend the side of the cliff, I saw the hustle and bustle of other students in the banquet hall. They were finding their seats, each of them wearing a long black robe just like the one Nolan was letting me borrow. We were gliding toward the bottom of the castle, and as I looked up, I realized that it had to be several stories tall. "Absolutely incredible," I mumbled.

The carpet floated down to the front doors, which were already opened, revealing the same warm golden glow that emanated from the banquet hall windows. The first-years who boarded the carpets before us were already waiting just inside the entrance, another faculty member accompanying them. When our carpet stopped moving, the faculty member beckoned us with a brief hand wave.

I stepped off the carpet and into who knew what kind of adventure.

I walked towards where the other students were gathering that were clearly our age and first years... they looked just as much in awe as Iggy and I.  I was so extremely nervous.  I felt my nerves starting to get to me-- I was feeling kind of shaky.  "I can't believe this..." I said softly.  This was far better than i expected.

We were ushered into a feasting hall and I was a little worried. "Have you heard anything that's going to happen with this?" I asked Nolan quietly. I had never known that what I could do would ever amount to something this amazinig. At least, I hoped it would be amazing.