'Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.'
'At least the journey's done,' Albus commented grumpily.
Near the head of the passenger compartment, James saw Professor Remora sleeping awkwardly, leaning across two seats with her mouth hanging open. One of her students nudged her experimentally.
'I thought vampires loved the night,' Lucy mused idly.
'Who, you mean Remora?' Zane said, glancing at Lucy. 'Yeah, that's a real puzzler, ain't it?'
Ralph yawned and asked Zane, 'How far is the school from here?'
'Just a few blocks away. It's almost right downtown, but you have to know where to look.'
Franklyn shouldered his leather attache and patted his pockets, apparently looking for his glasses. 'I'll arrange for our trunks and bags to be delivered to our various quarters via porter. Tonight, you shall all stay in the Alma Aleron guest house. Tomorrow, I will show you all to your residences for the duration of your stay.'
Harry stood up, carrying Lily as she slept, her head on his shoulder. Ginny followed, and the group began to shuffle toward the car's doors. It was an unusually quiet group as they filed out onto the deserted platform. A cool mist hung in the air around the huge terminal nearby. In the distance, a clock tower began to toll the hour. James counted the chimes and discovered that it was ten o'clock. Slowly, led by Chancellor Franklyn and Professor Georgia Burke, the group made its way off the platform and into the huge brightly lit terminal. Tall windows framed the space on either side, showing inky black sky.
'This is the 30 Street Station,' Zane announced, too tired to be particularly enthusiastic. 'They were going to rename it Benjamin Franklin Station a decade or so ago, but there was some political mish-mash and it never happened. Do yourself a favor and
As the group made its way through the bank of doors at the far end of the marble floor, they were met by a sweeping view of the city where it huddled on the other side of a broad river. Without stopping, Franklyn led the travelers across the street and onto a wide bridge. Cars and a few buses moved back and forth on the bridge as the travelers made their way along a footpath on the right side.
'It isn't far,' Franklyn proclaimed over the noise of the traffic. 'No Disapparating this close to the station, unfortunately. Not that we could anyway, with so many underage witches and wizards with us.'
Ginny pulled her hair into a ponytail as she walked next to her husband. 'I don't mind stretching my legs a bit, actually.'
'Not the most beautiful city I've ever seen,' Albus remarked. 'But the river is a delightful shade of orange.'
'That's just the streetlamps,' Lucy sighed.
'Enjoy the view while you can,' Zane instructed. 'Once we get on campus, it might be months before you ever see it again.'
Albus frowned. 'Is it a school or a prison?'
'Yes,' Zane quipped. 'But the point is, there's no reason you ever really need to leave. The Aleron's got everything you need, and quite a few things you don't. I've been there a whole year already and I still haven't seen the whole campus.'
Shortly, the group left the traffic bridge behind and descended into a warren of densely populated city blocks. Small businesses and gas stations eventually gave way to crowded residential areas. The houses and apartments pressed together like patrons at a bar, shouldering for room in front of the narrow streets. Cars and trucks lined the pavement, glimmering softly in the glow of the streetlights. Trees ranged along the streets as well, huge and old, their roots pushing the footpath into unruly hills and valleys. Finally, the group crossed a narrow intersection and approached a stone wall, just high enough that no one could see over it. Bits of broken glass were embedded into the mortar along the top.
'Here we are, then,' Zane said, nodding approvingly.
Albus was unimpressed. 'This is it, is it? I see what you mean about the size of it. You could get lost bending down to tie your shoe.'
James looked back and forth along the cracked footpath. The stone wall was no longer than a Hogwarts corridor, with leaning brick pedestals at either end. Embedded in the center of each of the brick pedestals, worn almost to illegibility, was a stone block with a stylized symbol engraved onto it. The symbol appeared to be a shield with two letter 'A's on it, perched upon by an eagle with spread wings. A wrought-iron gate stood in the middle of the wall, facing the street, but the gate was so choked with vines and weeds that the view beyond was completely hidden. Franklyn approached the gate and pulled some of the vines aside, peering in.
'It is I, Flintlock,' he said quietly. 'Chancellor Franklyn. Our visitors have arrived.'
James, Albus, and Lucy crowded through the travelers, eager for a glimpse beyond the overgrown gate.
'It's just a yard,' Albus complained. 'Where's this big giant campus you were talking about?'
'It's not there yet,' Franklyn answered.
'The Timelock!' Ralph said suddenly, remembering. 'My dad told me about it last year! Excellent!'
'In time, Mr. Deedle,' Franklyn smiled. 'So to speak.'
James pushed the vines aside and craned to look over Albus' shoulder. Sure enough, the space inside the wall was simply an old yard, choked with weeds and bits of trash. Only two objects seemed to occupy the space. One was a rather fat and overgrown willow tree. The other was a very large jagged boulder.
'He's asleep, Chancellor,' Professor Burke sighed, turning away. 'Shall I toss a rock at him?'
'You know how irritable he gets when we do such things,' Franklyn replied impatiently. 'Nobody likes having their own genetic material chucked at them. Let me try once more.' Raising his voice a bit, Franklyn cried out again, 'Flintlock! It is I, your Chancellor! Do wake up! Our guests are waiting!'
From the yard came a grating snort followed by a low grinding noise. James glanced around, looking for the source of the sound, and was surprised to see the boulder moving slightly. Apparently, it wasn't one boulder, but many smaller rocks piled together, for they began to move independently, not falling apart, exactly, but shifting position, forming a shape that looked strangely, teasingly alive.
'Cool!' Albus cried out suddenly, forgetting the quiet street around him. 'It's a rock troll! I've always wanted to see a rock troll!'
The stony shape stood up and began to lumber toward the gate, moving ponderously but heavily, its footsteps shaking the ground faintly.
'Meet Flintlock,' Franklyn said, gesturing with one hand. 'Our security chief. He's been a part of Alma Aleron ever since… well since before my time. Isn't that right, Flintlock?'
The troll fished a large key from the depths of his rocky crevices and socked it into an iron padlock. In a deep grating voice, the troll said, 'I came over with the Mayflower, sir. I remember it like it was yesterday.'
Professor Burke smiled wearily. 'Of course, in rock troll years, it probably
As the gates swung open, squeaking noisily, Albus peered up at the stony creature. 'But you must weigh a thousand tons!' he exclaimed. 'How would any boat carry you?'
