Chapter 16

Slinking her way across the grounds, Atlas wandered over to the treeline of the Forbidden Forest. It was Mid-December, snow lay thick against the previously muddy ground and the sky – once a gloomy grey – lightened to an opaline colour, easing the moods of everyone in the castle and further stretching to the inhabitants of Hogsmeade. The buzz of Christmas had been stagnant in the air for some time, as well as the afterglow of Ravenclaw’s soul-crushing victory over Hufflepuff in the match at the end of November.

The result led to not only Ravenclaw’s triumph but to Gryffindor’s as well, because now they had another shot at the Quidditch cup. This being something Oliver Wood had been reminding the team of over and over, each time practice rolled around. Atlas had been working on her left arm, determined not to use her right after a thorough scolding from not only her godmother but Hermione too.

Even Neville Longbottom, a boy she was steadily getting closer to after helping him out in Potions on many occasions and him helping her out in Herbology when Hermione was busy with Ron and Harry, had gently warned her not to strain herself too hard.

So with everything, the relentless training, the dotting Hermione, the ever remaining question of her father hanging in the air, the Hogsmeade trip coming up, Dumbledore’s fury keeping the Dementors at bay and Cedric that morning asking too many Hermione-based questions for it to be innocent curiosity, Atlas needed a break. A long break.

It was understandable, of course, before this, before she had entered Hogwarts the most mentally taxing thing she’d ever participated in was saving Bella and Cedric from Old-man Dockten, the crazy old crone that lived at the edge of Hogsmeade, who was firing hexes off left and right at the pair. Atlas never found out why but in honesty, she didn’t really want to know.

Having so much going on socially though wasn’t hard to deal with per se, it was actually something Atlas found easy to deal with at that point, she didn’t mind the attention. A majority of the fearfulness had gone, most people just looked at her and saw the amazing Chaser of Gryffindor those days, or the exceptionally good student who no one – not even Snape – could discredit.

Coming to a stop, Atlas looked around, taking in a breath and loosening up her joints. Shifting wasn’t painful, it was quite effortless actually, like sinking to the bottom of a lake, one would sort of just fall but it was always nice to loosen everything up, especially when shifting into something as big as Atlas did. Satisfied with her warm-up, Atlas jogged into the forest and jumped, her large hands shifting into giant paws with razor-sharp claws at their ends, feet, elongating to form the hind legs of the monster she turned into.

Everything grew, from her nose which turned into a fury black snout, to her ears which twitched when they fully formed, fluffy midnight coloured tufts of fur coming off of them, metal spikes, like scales, running down her spine. A resounding thud came with when she landed again, disturbing the local birds nesting in the treetops. The Dire-wolf stood to its full height, tail ever-so-slightly dusting against the snow ridden forest floor.

Then, without a warning and with speed surprising for its size, she took off, jumping, clawing, climbing, sprinting and panting, mind clouded and gaze sharp. A huff escaped the maws of the oversized wolf as she pounced over a fallen tree and, though she had initially resolved of going in deeper, she stopped, eyes focused on the black shaggy dog staring right back at her. It was the dog from the stands, she was sure it was, at first glance, it indeed looked like Lyra because of the similarities in their coats but this animal in front of her was most certainly a dog and not a wolf.

Pity rose in Atlas’s gut at the dog’s condition, it was skinny, she could see its ribcage pressed prominently against its skin, its fur was dull too, a contrast to her own shiny-healthy looking one. Winter had no doubt sent most animals into hiding so she supposed the poor thing had run out of food.

With that in mind, she turned her head to the sky and sniffed out the nearest meal she could, catching the scent of an elk not too far away. She turned back to the dog, communicated with her eyes and before she could get a response pounded off in the direction of her prey, leaving the dog to stare after her.

It was easy to find, its great big antlers and darker hide stuck out like a sore thumb against the snow. Elk’s were unseen anywhere else in Scotland and if Atlas were anywhere but the Forbidden Forest she wouldn’t have gone for it but the forest was untouched by muggle hunting, so many species that had gone extinct in other parts of Britain still thrived plentifully on Hogwarts grounds.

Which was good because Atlas pounced for the thing, teeth sinking easily into the beast’s neck, she jerked her head to the side, snapping it instantly and lugged it back with her, coming upon the clearing she had seen the dog.

Luckily it was still there, eyes closed and sprawled out across the floor, seemingly sleeping. Atlas dropped the Elk to the ground, startling the dog awake and when it saw the fruits from Atlas’s hunt, she could see the drool that dripped from its maws. A light huff left Atlas as she – without a second thought – shifted back into a human and stretched her arms above her head, her letterman jacket riding up just a tad.

She turned and looked to the dog while wiping the blood she had gotten on herself from her mouth, only it was staring right back at her, motionless. Then, all of a sudden, it pounced and licked at her face playfully, to which Atlas startled and stumbled backwards, falling into the snow. “Hey! Hey! You’re welcome! You’re welcome! Now get off, you smell!”

The shaggy dog obeyed, tail wagging furiously as it stared at her, tongue lolled to the side of its mouth. It looked to have completely forgotten about Atlas’s treat and had its attention solely on her.

“You’re a strange creature,” Atlas smiled crookedly, pulling out her wand and making a whisking motion toward the Elk’s corpse. Soon, it had been skinned and cleaned, laying on its own hide in the snow. She’d learnt the trick from Bella’s father. “There we go, you can eat it now.”

An odd look was thrown her way.

“Go on, I got it just for you.” The dog didn’t move to really eat it, in actual fact, it only padded over to it, bit out a chunk and dropped it Atlas’s feet, pressing its snout against her wand. “What?” she cocked her head, “You want me to cook it or something?”

A bark in approval and Atlas startled at the response, eyes blowing wide as she mutely lit a fire and poked a stick through the meat to cook it. The dog waited patiently, tail wagging as it stared at the food and glanced in Atlas’s direction every so often.

“Do you have an owner…boy?” she asked tentatively, he barked in response, “Well, you must have if you know that a wand can light things on fire…”

That earned a whine. The meat finally cooked a suitable amount and Atlas pulled it off of the fire, chucking it over to the dog with a light smile as she watched him eat.

“So, where did you come from?” She asked after a moment, leaning her cheek atop her knee, the dog hadn’t seemed to hear her, or if it had, he ignored her, not like he could respond anyway. One because he had his mouth full and two because Atlas was not her Animagus. She just nodded, imagining the dog had responded as she sprawled her legs out, lying flat in the snow and holding her arms out wide.

She just lay, staring up at the pale sky and squinting as snow fell upon her face. A weight fell against her chest soon after and she glanced down, seeing a furry head occupying her stomach, licking his chops. She smiled and nestled her hand amongst the dog’s fur, petting the dog gently as they just remained in mutual silence, the fire crackling every few seconds to prevent the silence from becoming too loud.

“This is nice,” she muttered and the dog huffed his own reply, his tail dusting the snow excitedly. “I should invite Hermione out here…maybe Ron and Harry,” the dog sat up, looking at Atlas suddenly. She quirked a brow and smiled, sitting up to her elbows. “Do you like the sound of that boy? More visitors to fawn over you?”

He fully sat up now, bounding up and down in the snow as if his frail body could handle it. Atlas laughed heartily and pushed herself to her feet, going over to the dog to calm him down, his hyperactivity bound to disturb the local magical wildlife.

“Ok, ok boy, I get it, you’re super excited. Calm down though, I don’t think your body can handle all of this,” she gestured to the whole of him and threw her arms up, not entirely knowing how to put it into words. “Energy. How about we get some more food in you before you start jumping around,” she chastised, moving back over to the Elk she had felled. It would last the dog a while, and though the strange thing seemed to prefer it cooked, Atlas wouldn’t be allowed out every day so he’d just have to make do somehow.

She stood over the meat and tilted her head at the patterns now donning it, crouching and hovering her hand over the frost coated meat, so frozen the cold radiated off of it, a stark contrast to the heat that had emanated from it when she’d first performed the kill. Though it was definitely cold outside, she never thought it would cool down so quickly.

That’s when she realised. Atlas withdrew her hand quickly as the frosted glaze stretched further towards her and looked around, eyes darting through the trees as she pulled out her wand, the dog now up and alert beside her. The air was now biting, colder than it had been, drying her throat and encasing her heart in ice. She should have realised sooner, Dumbledore may have forbid the Dementors from Castle grounds but the Forbidden Forest was fair game, meaning, Atlas Magianima Black had just walked into the cold dead hands of the Dementors, who all seemed too eager to take down anyone with so much as a drop of Sirius Black’s blood in them.

A dark ghostly form glided into the scene, advancing on Atlas hauntingly as she raised her wand with a shaky hand, the words needed to expel the creature from her sight at the tip of her tongue. Expecto Patronum, that’s all she needed to say but the words fell short for she knew the magical call would not be answered, no matter how she tried. Because no matter what, Atlas was never able to perform the charm.

“Shit! Come on Dog!” She turned and ran, the dog taking a moment to look between the two figures in fright before bounding after the girl, the Dementor flying after them, thinking it had caught its assigned prey. Atlas glanced over her shoulder momentarily, hopping and vaulting over roots left to grow gargantuan through the ages as Dog remained hot on her heel. She slid beneath a particularly bowed root and kicked up quite a bit of snow as a result, blinding her severely.

She managed, however, and continued, an urgent grunt coming from the back of her throat as she finally laid eyes upon the grounds, knowing Dumbledore had put up a warning barrier around it. With a final jump, she was through, turning too fast she fell onto her behind, Dog stopping just before her feet. The Dementor continued after her, only to hit a field of blue, disorientating and seemingly angering the foul creature of darkness.

Still, Atlas scrambled back farther, her chest rising and setting in unsteady motions as she gulped down a breath and just stared at the fuming entity, staring at both her and Dog, gliding left and right. Pacing, it was pacing and waiting for her to step a toe over the barrier. She swallowed again, the burning of her throat due to its dryness leaving it hard to even do that. Her tear ducts watered ever so slightly to return to it some of its moisture and her right hand, the one she had used to hold her wand, shook so badly she had to physically restrain it with her left.

Dog turned to her, padding her way and throwing its paws around her neck. The action understandably startled Atlas but she still returned it wholeheartedly, finding the dog quite puzzling. “Your owner must be distraught to have lost a friend like you,” she wheezed.

For a second, when she closed her eyes, she swore she felt the embrace of a human, the arms around her feeling furless and the chest against hers adopting a more human shape but when she opened them, it was still the dog, his tail now wagging again while the Dementor in front of them seemed to grow even more aggravated.

“Atlas!” She pulled away from Dog and turned to see Minerva storming her way over, green dress hiked to her knees as Hagrid followed just behind with Fang in his grasp. “Get away! Get away!”

“I’m fine, Minnie!” Atlas assured, patting Dog’s head and standing up, though her knees gave out beneath her and she fell forward, chuckling nervously, “That’s just the adrenaline,” she tried and smiled appreciatively when Dog nudged the side of her face. “Thanks, Dog.”

“What were you doing out there!?” Minerva scolded, gently pulling Atlas up and regarding the clear stray with a dubious look. “And who is this?”

“This is Dog, I found him in the forest,” Atlas said, “I thought I could keep him.”

“It doesn’t look like he liked the sound ‘er tha’,” Hagrid suggested and Atlas quirked a brow, looking back to see Dog had already taken off back into the forest, the Dementor apparently having followed him as it was now nowhere in sight.

“Bummer…” Atlas murmured as Minerva looked her over, brushing her down of snow and grasping the girls face, moving it from side to side to see if she’d suffered any more damage to her visage. “I’m really fine,” Atlas tried, Minerva regarded her sceptically as she held up one of Atlas’s shaking hands. “Ok, I’m just a little shaken…you know what I’m like around those things, I always shake.”

“Tha’ was really stupid of yeh,” Hagrid said and Atlas sighed, nodding as she just accepted the scolding.

“I’m sorry…”

“I’ll put that on your headstone then shall I?” Minerva shook, raising a warning finger, “No more trips into the Forbbiden Forest while the Dementors still roam the grounds, understood?”

“But, Lyra–“

“Is fully capable of looking after herself. Something you should know you’re not capable of when it comes to Dementors!” Minerva continued and Atlas tensed, looking at her feet solemnly. “You know you can’t fend them off! No matter what you have never been able to cast the Patronus Charm, for no lack of trying I understand, however, Atlas you must have caution! Goodness…” she paced back and forth, Hagrid looking around awkwardly while Atlas watched her dejectedly. “I should have known…I should have known this was a terrible idea! Dementors on castle grounds…this is a school! Not a prison! I should have known not to let you in the forest! Oh, how stupid I must have been to dare to think the Dementors wouldn’t test Dumbledore’s rule!”

“Minnie!” Atlas interrupted before her godmother’s hair started to fall out by the dozen. “Minnie, calm down…ok, I won’t go in the forest anymore, not while the Dementors are here.”

“Of course you won’t!” Minerva erupted but then sighed, “my apologies, Atlas…yes, thank you for understanding now please,” she shook her head, rubbing between her brows tiredly, “please just go back to Gryffindor Tower…”

Atlas noticed the fatigue in the ladies voice and smiled softly, pulling the lady into a hug and rubbing her back comfortingly, “Yes, Minnie.”

“Thank you…”

***

Walking back into the Gryffindor Common Rooms, Atlas sighed and unwound her scarf from around her neck, tossing it over her shoulder and taking off her gloves with her teeth, failing to see, Harry, Ron and Hermione staring over at her curiously. Crookshanks came happily running over to her, latching onto her pants and scaling up her body to sit in her jumper like he always did. A few passing Gryffindors waved to her as well, Ginny showing her a Hollyhead Harpies book she had found in the library.

“That’s lovely, Ginny,” Atlas smiled, looking at each of the pictures as Ginny skimmed through them. The girl had been very energetic around her since the Quidditch match, asking all about how she’d come to be so good with a broom. At one point Atlas had let her go for a fly on her Firebolt, which probably added to the admiration Ginny was showing toward her.

“They’re bloody fantastic aren’t they?” Ginny awed, clutching the book to her chest and looking up at Atlas hopefully, “Do you think I could use your broom again, Atlas?” she grinned, “I promise I’ll be careful, I just want to try a few things.”

“Sure, I don’t see why not…” Atlas shrugged and Ginny beamed, her cheeks going a light red from excitement as she leant up and hugged Atlas.

“You look like you’re about to burst, Gin,” George said in passing, “Doesn’t she, Fred?”

“She does George. Or like she’s holding in a big one,” Fred added mischievously. Ginny’s face dropped and she instead scowled, smacking Fred with her book.

“You tosser!” She hissed and Atlas watched the scene amusedly as Ginny chased after a laughing Fred, threatening all sorts of obscene things, only to start laughing as well soon after. Atlas moved over to the trio, sitting in a vacant chair and sinking into its cushions.

“So…could I have a go on your Firebolt too?” Ron asked quietly and she turned to him, squinting at him through half-lidded eyes.

“I suppose you’ll have to wrestle it from Ginny first,” she said, motioning over to the flaming redhead who had Fred in a chokehold and was fiercely ruffling his hair with her knuckles.

“Where have you been?” Hermione asked over her Potions homework and the two boys looked at her, Ron from where his siblings were messing about and Harry from his copy of Which Broomstick, faces pulled into knowing and amused smiles.

“Well…I was with Cedric this morning and then I went–“

“Cedric?” Hermione interjected and Atlas frowned, looking at the girl confusedly as she sat up.

“Yes, Cedric…why?”

“What did he want?”

Atlas considered the girl in front of her a moment, remembering all the things Cedric had pointed out to her during that chat that morning. She’d almost forgotten about it with Dog and the Dementor almost sucking out her soul that morning but now that she thought about it, Cedric questions had been personal, way too personal to be innocent.

“He asked about you, actually,” she stated plainly, gaze unwavering as she searched Hermione’s eyes for a reaction, Ron and Harry now both, paying very close attention to the interaction. “And spoke about you…”

“Why would he do that?” Hermione asked, face scrunched up in thought.

“Maybe he fancies you, Hermione,” Ginny piped in, sitting on Atlas’s other side as she pulled out her Hollihead Harpies book again, casually flipping through it.

“Cedric? Crushing on Hermione? That’s…” Atlas furrowed her brows. Did he have a crush on Hermione? Better yet, with Hermione’s sudden interest in Cedric, did she have a crush on him? She decided to remain silent, hugging Crookshanks to her chest as she thought about it, genuinely thought about it. “Would you date him, Hermione?”

Ginny snorted as Harry and Ron silently cracked up, Hermione going the slightest shades darker as she coughed, clearing her throat to answer. “Ah…no, he’s not really my type.”

“He’s so far from her type,” Harry grinned.

“Really?” Atlas asked, “but Cedric is every girl’s type, he’s like…a Greek statue, chiselled marble,” she grimaced at her own words.

“Does he even have the tiny pe–“

“Ginny!”

“What? These are important questions if you want to date him, Hermione,” Ginny continued to tease.

“So you do want to date him?” Atlas questioned, eyebrow cocked.

“No! I do not want to date Cedric Diggory!” Hermione snapped, turning back to her Potions book. There was a length of silence, only filled occasionally by Ginny’s muffled laughter until Atlas spoke up again.

“So…what is your type, Mi?”

“I…” Hermione seemed to struggle with her words, glancing around at the faces surrounding her only to see the boys and Ginny all grinning back, urging for her to spill on what her ideal partner would be. “I…well, looks don’t very much matter to me, as long as they have a good head on their shoulders, I should find them attractive regardless.”

“Is that it?” Atlas asked, cocking her head to the side. Hermione seemed to take a minute to gather herself, blinking rapidly a few times before setting her book down. “Hermione?”

“I think that’s enough questions for me. What’s your type then Atty?”

“Oh, I…” Atlas startled and Ginny laughed, Harry and Ron just glancing between the two with large Cheshire Cat-like grins. “I like…uh–“

“Did you hear about the Hogsmeade trip, Atlas?” A voice suddenly asked and Atlas sighed out in relief, turning to face Neville with a smile as he joined the little group in their huddle, he smiled brightly at Atlas but it faltered when he glanced at the rest of the group, the lot of them looking thoroughly annoyed. “D-did I interrupt anything?”

“Nope not at all,” Atlas refuted.

“Merlin, I’ve never seen Atlas so red, I think you did interrupt something Neville,” Katie commented hanging over the back of Ron’s chair. “What were you talking about to get her so flustered?”

“I only mentioned the Hogsmeade trip,” Neville said obliviously.

“We asked Atlas what her type was,” Ginny grinned. “Though I’m pretty sure I already know.”

“Oooo~ juicy, do tell!” Angelina joined, hopping over the back of the couch and sitting beside Hermione, Alicia following soon after. Eventually, a lot of the others joined as well, intent on hearing whatever lastest gossip they could, even Seamus and Dean were there, the Twins and their best friend Lee Jordan behind them, grinning and whispering to each other.

“Ok, no!” Atlas started abruptly, standing from her chair and glaring at the group firmly, “nope, we are not getting into my relationship stuff.”

“We don’t want to hear about your busy love life, Atlas, we already know how many people like you,” George said.

“We want to know your type, see if any of us have a chance,” Fred finished with a sleazy looking grin.

“As of right now, no one has a chance!” Atlas fumed and then turned to Neville, “Neve, to answer your question. Yes, I did hear and I’m so super glad because I’ve run out of materials and need to stock up!”

“R-right,” Neville nodded.

“Materials for what?” Ron asked, chomping down on a piece of chocolate he had saved from his previous trip to Hogsmeade. Atlas startled at his question and turned to him, she was actually thankful he’d gone along with changing the topic.

“It’s for a project.”

“Well, it’s a good thing it’s scheduled close to Christmas,” Katie said, seemingly dropping the subject as well, “We can get all our shopping done.”

“Yeah,” Hermione agreed and then looked over to Atlas. “Remember those Toothflossing Stringmints we saw at Honeydukes? I was thinking of getting them for my Mum and Dad.”

“I’m sure they’d love that, Mi,” Atlas smiled, “It’s a dentist thing, right?” Hermione nodded enthusiastically. “Well, I’m turning in,” she announced, gathering up her scarf and gloves she had sat next to her. “Night…”

“Oh, hold on, let me join you,” Hermione rushed, gathering all of her homework while Atlas did her best to not let Ginny’s giggling bother her. “Goodnight everyone.”

“Night you two,” Neville waved.

“Don’t stay up too late,” Ginny grinned and Atlas sent her a glare, Hermione just looking at her curiously.

“Oh yeah, don’t let the bed bugs bite,” Katie smirked.

“Unless the bug is a substitute for–“

“Goodnight, Ginny,” Atlas interrupted, “We’ll arrange those Firebolt sessions, tomorrow, yeah? If I’m feeling forgiving…” she gritted and Ginny’s face dropped.

“Hey, I was joking!”

“Unlucky for you because I’m not,” Atlas retorted and then let out a breath, turning to everyone else, “See you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early, Wood’s orders!” Katie shouted after her and a deep sigh rumbled from Atlas’s chest.

“Great…” She grumbled.

“How about I come and watch?” Hermione offered. “I’d really like to be able to see you fly without the obscured vision.”

“…you would?”

“Of course,” Hermione nodded surely.

“That would make my morning better,” Atlas nodded absentmindedly, earning a bit of colour to Hermione’s cheeks, “yeah, ok…I’ll wake you up.”

“Can we study after?”

“Honestly? I’ll do anything you want.”

“I’ll hold you to that. Oh, and why are you so dirty?”

“I got chased by a Dementor in the Forbidden Forest.”

“You, what!?”