Change finished

September 1, 2022

☁ Overcast

Morning

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
-Albert Einstein

Alex hadn't slept well. Between London's maddening size and the promise of change in the air, she couldn't shut her mind off. For the past month, nothing seemed quite right in her life. First of all the letter. Statistically improbable enough, the contents made her wonder if she'd entirely lost her mind. She was sure it was all a scam of some sort. A school for witchcraft and wizardry? How on Earth had she never read of such a thing?

Secondly, her grandmother was over the moon with pride. Apparently, her closest friend Martha had turned out to be the very witch to explain the whole ordeal. It was as though she were suddenly part of a mass psychosis. Although the lady seemed sane enough, Alex couldn't bring herself to absorb a word of what she had said. Something about houses and catching golden balls on brooms.

Thirdly, her trip to Diagon Alley. Her first substantial taste of this world bordering her own. It wasn't until she found herself in Flourish and Blotts, surrounded by the scent of parchment and ink, that the change had really been felt. She had a sudden intense urge to read every word in the place. Shelf upon shelf of a completely different sort of knowledge was a lure she felt was colored especially for her. She nearly had to be dragged out by Martha to finish getting everything on her list.

The rest of her summer had passed quickly, every waking moment spent with her nose in her books. Whenever something wasn't explained thoroughly enough, she often looked to Martha, who seemed to find it quite amusing to leave her wondering with cryptic or unhelpful responses.

Her last day in Irvine was the longest. Ever since her letter, her mother had seemed more distant than usual. Her nights at the pub lasted well past the hours that Alex had hidden under her sheets with a book, fighting sleep. When Alex was up for the day, her mother slept late, and whatever conversation they had was in brief passing greetings. Usually, she wouldn't have been bothered by this lack of affection from her, but with her approaching departure date, she wondered if her mother really cared at all.

It was her grandfather that had insisted on taking her to London and seeing her off. They would stay the night at a small hotel, and he would accompany her to the station in the morning. The night before she left, her mother didn't return home. Her journey would begin with a hollow feeling in her heart where her mother's goodbye should have been. She had come to terms with the distance but was taken aback by this sudden complete withdrawal.

As she was standing between platforms nine and ten on that chilly September morning, she was happy that her grandpa had come. He had been quiet and supportive over the last few weeks, her rock in the storm of change. As she gazed at his deeply wrinkled features, his kind eyes brought sudden tears to hers.

"Thank you, Grandpa," she said. "I'll miss you the most."

He gave her a rare smile and wrapped her in his arms. Despite his age, she could still feel the strength behind them that held her family together with his love and labor.

"Don't be missing me too much, dove; it'll spoil the adventure." He said, "if you need anything just send a letter, eh?"

She nodded, "look after mum?"

His eyes hardened slightly, but he recovered and nodded. She gave him one last squeeze before turning to watch another magic family disappear into the barrier. Truthfully, she was sure she'd run straight into a solid wall, but she wasn't about to let her Grandpa see her fail this quickly. Grabbing her luggage trolley, she walked swiftly towards the barrier. At the last second, she closed her eyes, expecting to break her nose on impact. No pain came.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and there, shrouded in steam and an impressive crowd was the Hogwarts Express.

End