<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span class="bbc_u"><strong>From Hogsmeade to Hogwarts</strong></span></span><br/><strong>Location:</strong> Hogsmeade Village -&gt; Hogwarts Castle<br/><strong>Date &amp; Time:</strong> 5:30 PM -&gt; 6:00 PM<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong> Open to all students and teachers travelling to the castle<br/><strong>Content:</strong> Two routes to the castle<br/><strong>Post Rate:</strong> No further GM posts. All post between yourselves.<br/></div><br/><div align="center">(https://i.pinimg.com/474x/a8/ad/07/a8ad079a8ff1c52743986c364d156b7d.jpg)(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/59/f2/3b/59f23b28e51ab4dbdd2fabef86cb2283.png)</div><br/>As is tradition the first-year students traveling to Hogwarts would be brought from Hogsmeade to the shore of Black Lake, shown the small wooden boats with their glimmering lanterns. Their belongings would be brought along with the older students, leaving them free to row in pairs across the deep, dark water in the cool, gentle autumn air.<br/><br/>Perhaps it was wizardry, perhaps nature or perhaps some twist of fate but each year a slight mist would part as the students reached midway across the lake and pale moonlight would perfectly illuminate the striking, towering figure of the castle up ahead. It truly was breathtaking even under normal circumstances but on first viewing, lit up so perfectly and contrast against the night sky, Hogwarts really did live up to the rumors and tales told among the wizarding community.<br/><br/>It was a short row, all told, but it tended to feel longer as the students were often lost for words looking up at their new school. The quiet, still night air certainly did nothing to take away from the spectacle. Before long they would land against the other side of the lake, pulling the boats ashore before completing the last leg of the journey on foot to meet up with the older students in their carriages.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>For those who had already made that boat trip waited the carriages. To almost all of the students there they would be strange things. Beautifu, ornate wooden carriages that appeared to be pulled by nothing. And yet a gap was left between each as though there were a pair of large horses ready to pull them toward the castle. The reigns were held up, as though connected to some being that was simply not visible. Up close one could even hear the gentle sounds of hooves against the dirt and the heavy breathing of a large animal.<br/><br/>The experience often unsettled second years but most who were older were used to it by now and all too happy to hop into their carriages in groups of four and set off toward Hogwarts. The trip was reasonably quick, usually a touch slower than the row across the lake as the route was far less direct.<br/><br/>Of course, the experience was very different for a small select few. The carriages were pulled by the rare, unsettling but elegant Thestrals. Dark-skinned winged horses with skeletally thin bodies and somewhat reptilian features. What was unique about the Thestrals beyond that appearance, though, was their invisibility. The creatures were only visible to those who had witnessed death. Not just any, either, but one up close and personal enough to force the witnesser to truly come to terms with that concept. It was a rarity, particularly among the young, and so to the bulk of those attending there was nothing at all pulling the carriages and for one reason or another many would prefer to think of it that way. For those who can see them, unfortunately, Thestrals tend to serve as an inevitable reminder of exactly what dark day led them to be able to see them.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>At the far end of the journey, the students would be grouped together, corralled a little by teachers to get them to the great hall for the feast while their luggage was brought in by staff using magical means. Hogwarts up close was no less remarkable, a towering building that jutted up into the night sky. On the exterior, it was in some ways imposing but those who crossed the threshold would soon see the glimmering warmth of candlelight and feel the very real sense of community flooding in the air as so many good friends chattered away.