The final days of August greeted London with its customary chill. Carriages rolled up the cobblestone drive one after another, bringing the students back to the boarding school. After several weeks at home, everything was returning to the familiar routine: heavy gates, high stone walls, stern instructors, and the scent of old books and waxed wood. William James Moriarty was the first to step out of the carriage. Servants were already unloading travel trunks from the roof. There were few of them: all the essentials had long been kept at the boarding house, and the students took home only their most personal belongings. Louis, his little brother, stopped silently beside him. He remained silent... He had spent most of his life in silence. Will was used to it. His slightly sullen fifteen-year-old brother was the most precious thing he had. Almost instinctively, both of them cast a familiar glance around the courtyard. Everything was ridiculously familiar. The same faces. The same families sending their sons off until Christmas. The same boisterous groups of friends who had missed each other over the summer. There was almost nothing new. And really, what new things could one expect in the final year? A boy they didn’t recognize—roughly their age—was standing near the main entrance. He was tall, lanky, handsome in his own way. His dark hair was tousled, as if he didn't care at all about his appearance; his tie was sloppily knotted and a couple of buttons were done up wrong. Instead of getting to know his classmates, he was intently studying the building’s roof, as if weighing up whether it was possible to climb it. Before long, a few students had gathered around him. “Is that the new kid?” “They say he transferred here.” “What for?” “Who knows...” The boy answered with obvious reluctance, and within a minute, it was clear that the questioning was beginning to irritate him. William held his gaze for only a few seconds. An interesting one... Nothing more. Brother. Louis’s quiet voice brought him back to reality. We should go. If we’re the last ones back, they’ll already be checking the rooms. He gave William’s sleeve a gentle tug. William cast one last, automatic glance at the newcomer, then calmly turned away and headed toward the dormitory. The year promised to be an intriguing one.