She Said What?

Chapter 58: My World Completely Combusts

A/N: Here we go. Here it is. Finally. The (thunderclap) BIG DRAMA I've been promising you for ages now. Hope I haven't built it up to a point where you are unfazed by the whole thing – because that would totally suck. Just try to be astonished for my sake. I'm so excited. It totally changes everything. Like everything.

It's not incredibly long, but it doesn't need to be. It's merely an introduction. Every facet of the latest development will not be covered in this one chapter. It will resonate through pretty much the rest of the story. Direct aftermath, however, will be brought up next chapter.

Thanks to Niki for making sure this was not too overwrought for you. You're an epic winner, darling.

Off you go, then!

April 24

5:30 PM
Status: Moody

The sky is still quite light outside, only mere touches of fiery orange staining the serene, forever blue above us, and I suspect the sun will start to set very quickly from this point on. I'm already in my robes, the snacks from the cart have already been eaten, and the train is quiet, the animated buzz of the morning dulled by the long ride. Alice is currently sitting beside me on the train. Her head is on my shoulder, her snores light in my ear, and I feel like the only one alive here, writing and reveling in the quietness, listening to the low, steady rumble of the train making its way on the track.

These are my favorite times to open my notebook and pour my thoughts on paper – moody and thoughtful after a good long conversation with my best friends, the atmosphere outside coolly bizarre in that unappreciated sort of way.

It makes my insulated little world appear infinitesimal, insignificant, one tiny bubble in an ocean of fizz. It makes me feel like there are so many things out there far bigger than me and my meager intelligence will never be enough to properly wrap itself around them.

It's humbling, in a way. When you're caught up in the rush and whirl of school, a trivial ant-farm of miniscule ants that aren't quite ready for reality yet, it's easy to forget how vast the outside world really is. And how tiny you are in comparison.

Yesterday, in the early evening, there was an enormous bridge collapse somewhere in England. I forget the name of the town, but I know it's familiar, in way, like I've heard of it before and it's close by, so well integrated into conversation that it's difficult to pin-point on command. Death Eaters – the vile creatures who worship an evil man – were the masterminds behind it, making the whole thing fall down like a stack of child's dominos, and killing a currently indefinite number of people. It was a busy bridge and there were cars on it when it was sunk.

I don't really get the Prophet anymore – there's nothing much in there worth reading – but Alice got it and she was sobered when she told me about it. Apparently, the Ministry is not as composed as it wants us to think it is. This bridge collapse is the biggest recent tragedy, but according to the Prophet, smaller ones have occurred that are just as horrifying, but the press didn't write about it because they didn't want to worry anyone.

But now, people are worried. They think there's a war going on. Those whispers in the paper from earlier this year have turned into murmurs, calls, and then demands. The bridge collapse has really scared people. Adults speak in confidential whispers, we almost-adults wonder how much to worry.

Hogwarts students aren't always in-tune with current events, I know; but as I boarded the train this morning, many were discussing it with anxiety in their faces. They knew people who lived near and used the bridge and were still waiting to hear from those families, hoping everything was okay and nothing would change too drastically. They were paying attention. Alice was among these people. She has an uncle, aunt, and four cousins who live in that area. They haven't been in touch with her parents yet.