The Blast (P1)

The world's gone crazy.

Well, it's more accurate to say that the school has gone crazy, but since we're all under lockdown from The Ministry, this might as well be our world.

No one is entirely sure what happened. No one sane at least, and at this point, The Kid isn't sure anyone is left. He'd been in the owlery, and from his vantage point he'd seen The Blast. Like a tidal wave, carried by nothing but air, it had spread across the school, dissipating right before it reached him.

He look around the corner, sees it deserted, like most of the corridors he's been through. He's headed for the dungeons, figures if anyone hasn't been done in by The Blast, it'd be the esteemed Potions Master. Of course, getting from the owlery to the dungeons ain't the easiest task, 'specially when he don't know how many people could be standing in the way.

He carries on down the corridor, sticking close to the wall, making as little noise as he can. He's injured, and each step makes the dull pain in his leg flare up. Folks 'round the school weren't the most peaceable, even before The Blast, but they'd usually ask questions 'fore openin' fire.

The Kid hadn't known what was goin' on, so when he encountered a student, clad in blue robes, he'd started askin' questions. Of course, all that had stopped when the student had whipped around, firing off a blasting curse the second he saw The Kid.

Now, The Kid ain't an idiot, and the second the student raised his wand, he'd been divin' to the side, but all the sense in the world can't make up for a run of bad luck, and after he'd disarmed and knocked the student unconscious, he stumbled and noticed the blood running freely down his leg. The damn stone had been knocked loose by the curse and embedded itself in his leg.

The Kid pauses, leanin' against a wall. Up ahead of him is a fork in the road, one path he knows leads to the Grand Staircase, while the other takes him toward a disused wing of the castle. He thinks, knowin' the Grand Staircase is the fastest route, but he's not gettin' through there without a fight. He don't know if there's a way downstairs on the other path, but he's gotta decide soon, 'fore more students find him, or the unlucky Raven behind him wakes up.

He hears steps comin' from the path toward the Grand Staircase, and makes a decision. Makin' himself scarce, he limps toward the other path, toward the unknown. He realises he's not gonna have time to get out the way 'fore the steps reach him, so he finds the nearest tapestry and throws himself under it, prayin' he don't get caught.

The steps reach him, and continue right past him. He peers out from the tapestry, seein' a red robe and a head of blonde hair. He knows this student, and in an instant, his sense takes leave of him. He calls out, hopin' that he's wrong, and this student weren't caught up in The Blast. The student turns, his wand already raisin'. He sees The Kid, and in a manner nothin' like the boy he'd once been, he snaps out curses in quick succession.

The Kid dives, surpressin' a scream as his leg screams in protest. Luckily for him, none of the students seem to have kept much of their sense when The Blast caught them, and he's able to knock the student off his feet 'fore he gets another chance to attack. He staggers over, lookin over the student with shock. This boy ain't nothin' like what he used to be. The fear that had once been present in his eyes at all times was all but gone. Sighin', The Kid raises his wand, now the only friend he has left, and quickly stuns and ties the student he had once known as Ben Copper up.

He carries on down the hallway, not thinkin' much on where he's goin'. If he don't find a way down to the bottom floor, he figures, he can just hide out up here 'til nightfall, make his move when the place quieten's down some. He decides it's time he took care of that leg of his, and he pauses for a minute to cast the general healin' charm. The wound closes up some, so he continues on, hopin' he don't need to do it again.

The school's a big place, 'specially for the number of students there, so The Kid ain't too worried 'bout runnin' into anyone up here. He'd ditched the feast to come up to the Owlery, so he was sure most people had been in the Great Hall when The Blast had struck, workin' its insidious magic on all in sight. He had ran into the Potions Master on the way out of the Great Hall, so he hopes that meant he had escaped The Blast too.

He thinks 'bout his friends. No doubt they all got hit, 'specially since he already saw Ben. He don't know nothin' about healin' this sorta thing, so he only hopes the Potions Master might have an idea.

He stops, seein' a dead end ahead of him. He looks round, sees nothin' but empty classrooms and empty dreams. He leans against the wall, ponderin' how he's gonna make it back through the Grand Staircase, and then, as if answerin' his prayers, the wall spins, dumpin' him in a secret passageway full of hopes and dreams. The Kid's eyes widen as he takes in the downward slopin' passage. He smiles at the second run of good luck he's had today, if he counts escapin' The Blast as good luck.

He heads down the passageway for minutes on end, eventually comin' to a halt outside a patch of discoloured wall that he can tell is the way out. He pauses for a moment, strainin' his ears, tryin' to tell if anyone is on the other side. The Kid knows he can't hide here all day, so he bites the bullet and pushes the wall until it spins, pushin' him back out into a corridor he recognises as the third floor, near the Defense classroom.

The Kid pauses for a moment, before duckin' into the Defence classroom. He hopes he can find somethin' that'll help him if he runs into any more trouble. He finds an old holster, the kind the aurors use during duels. It ain't his ticket to safety, but he'll take it.

He slides back out the classroom before anyone can find him. He's not far from the entrance hall now, and he knows this section of the castle well. He's come to hide around here in the past when he's not been feeling up to talkin'. He thinks for a second, rememberin' how only the other day he'd been waiting for class here with all his friends, and now he was alone and paranoid, and his friends had gone insane and were trying to kill him. He ducks into an alcove, a secret spot he doesn't think anyone else knows about. He takes the chance to double check his leg, and sees a thick set of ropey scars covering his calf. He winces, knowin' his hasty repair work can't fix everythin'.

The Kid stays there for a few minutes, waitin' until he knows it's clear. He's in a more populated area of the school now, so he don't have the luxury of wandering through the corridors without comin' across anyone. After some time passes, he sets back out, finding the corridors still empty. He's not sure where everyone is, and the fact he's only come across two students so far worries him, but he presses on.

He leans around another corridor, but throws himself back when he spots two students comin' toward him. He recognizes these two, as well. One is a prefect, clad in green, and the other is the tall, red-headed boy. The Kid looks around, but can't find anywhere to run. He presses himself against the wall and waits, hopin' the two won't see him.

He breathes a sigh of relief as they pass by him without a glance. He don't understand what The Blast had done to everyone, but one thing is clear: the affected students can still work together. He pauses as a bone-chilling thought passes through his mind. If all the affected students can still work together, that makes him Public Enemy No.1.

The Kid shakes his head, pushing the thoughts out of his mind. He has one objective right now, and that's to make it to the dungeon and find out if the Potions Master is unaffected. Assuming he isn't, they can begin to figure out what happened, and if it's fixable. He peers round the corridor again, seeing it deserted once more. He edges out, headin' toward the Grand Staircase. He's close enough to the bottom floor now that he should be able to sneak down regardless of other students.

He thinks as he sneaks toward the staircase. From what he'd seen, The Blast had originated from inside the darkness of the forest. He doesn't know who or what could have been the culprit, but he knows he isn't powerful enough to figure out it.

The Grand Staircase is a massive place. It stretches up at least seven floors and is covered in portraits and staircases. The staircases shift with a grindin' sound, and suddenly each path reaches a new destination. The Kid looks down from the third floor balcony, seeing some students milling around the very bottom floor, below the doorway leading to the entrance hall. He isn't sure, but he thinks he can see another girl he knows down there. He can't recall anyone else with bright blonde, braided hair like that.

He slinks down the staircase, pressin' as close to the wall as he can in the hopes that no one catches him. He's lucky, and the students seem more interested in messing around with their wands, rather than looking up to see him sneak down the stairs.

In the entrance hall, he sees no one. the castle doors are wide open, and he can see hundreds of students outside. He squints, and between the students and teachers, he catches a glimpse of the boy who had been his best friend. He's standing stock still, staring up at the sky. The Kid almost goes outside, but he knows that's a one way ticket to the choppin' block.

Takin' care to be as quiet as he can, The Kid heads to the dungeon entrance. He eases the door open, wincing at the creaking sound, but the students outside don't notice. Enterin', he shuts the door behind him and runs down the stairs as fast as he can, hoping he won't run into anyone on the way.

He's ain't that lucky, though.

He's only feet away from the Potions Master's office when she walks out of a nearby classroom. He sees the tuft of orange between the messy brown of her hair and panics, since he knows this girl too. She ain't been too kind to him before The Blast, and he reckons she'll be even less kind now.

She raises her wand, and he does the same. They stand in that pose for a moment before she asks, in a tentative and almost quivering voice if he's still sane. At that, The Kid sinks in relief at findin' someone else that hasn't been affected. He asks her if she knows anythin' about what happened, and she tells him that she had been sittin' in her dormitory when she had felt a shiver run through her whole body. She left the dorm room and found a second year student sitting in the common room, and when he saw her he began to attack. She tells The Kid that she had to fight her way out of the common room and had been hiding in the dungeons ever since. He asks why she hasn't attacked him, and she tells him that she doesn't know. She just ain't felt the need.

The Kid tells her about The Blast, and the students he had seen on his way from the owlery. He tells her about his hope that the Potions Master might not have been affected, and the two of them agree to check his office. The Kid finds himself walking with more of a spring in his step now that he knows he's not alone, and some of his paranoia begins to fade.

The Potions Master's office is a dark, dim, place. It stinks of potion fumes and ingredients, but The Kid had long since grown use to those smells. The room is empty besides the two of them, and they both sink in despair at their one hope snuffed out. The Kid examines the desk, and finds a letter, hastily written, ink drops spilt all over. He calls the girl over, and the two of them read it. In it, the letter claims that the school is no longer safe, and that whoever reads the letter needs to escape soon. It tells them of a secret passage behind a statue on the third floor, one that will get them out of the castle and away from the madness. The letter promises that the situation will be resolved, and that they'll be able to return soon.

That's as far as the letter goes. The rest as illegible, a tsunami of ink washin' the answers away. The Kid stares at the letter for a moment longer, then he asks the girl what she thinks they should do. She laughs, and tells The Kid that they have no choice since the castle ain't too safe for them.

The Kid and the girl steel themselves, before grabbing the letter from the desk and leaving the room.