Carl was on his way back to the Common Room after a Transfiguration practice session. He had learned a new spell that could change the color of his outfit and after many trials, he had turned his school uniform bright red!

... he did need to change it back before lessons began the next day.

Out of the corner of his eye, the fourteen-year-old saw something that grabbed his attention. A glow of light. What was that? He looked around, wondering if anybody else had saw it. There was nobody around him.

Being the curious teenager he was, he took a few steps forward, then another few steps, past Kitty DuGray Valentine's picture and note... then he was on the other side of the Portal.