---
A few moments later…
The summons arrived as one plain line on a slip of vellum slid under John's dorm door before dawn.
East stair. Top landing. Knock once, wait twice.
Fizz read it upside down, hair sticking out like a firework that had made a few life choices. "Ominous," he announced, pleased. "Let us obey the mysterious hallway."
They crossed the quiet halls while most first-years still argued with blankets. The east stair kept its own counsel; the top landing kept a locked door that had never been interesting until it opened.
Master Hale stood there, composed as a page in a book that knew how to be read. "This way," she said, tilting her head toward the narrow passage beyond. "No questions in the stairwell."
Fizz opened his mouth to ask three questions at once. John put a hand behind his back and squeezed once. Fizz closed his mouth, which was a historic compromise.
