Genesis
It took me a full minute, my focus caught by a particularly grumpy-looking wizard, to realize there was someone else in the room.
Seated across from him, in a plush armchair that looked far too comfortable for a school office, was an older woman. Her dark hair was swept into a neat, elegant bun, its intricate twists secured with what looked like a silver pin. As she slowly turned her head towards me, her long, dark bangs, a striking, almost ethereal charcoal grey, shifted across her brow. Her eyes, a vibrant, sparkling blue, widened slightly. And then, a brilliant, warm smile erupted on her face, making the fine lines around her eyes crinkle with genuine warmth. It was a smile that reached h