Chapter 31

With a quick movement forward, Atlas retrieved her wand, Peter flinching back from her when she did, tears in his eyes that threatened to overflow. Atlas dared him to cry, dared him to give her an excuse to sock him in the face again. And he did, only, Hermione pulled her back before she could advance on him. “Hermione…”

“Atlas.” The girl replied and though it was firm there was something shaky beneath it. She was scared. Atlas took a moment before moving next to her, hand tight around her wand, ignoring the pain it caused in her knuckles. She hooked an arm around Hermione, bringing the girl into a side-hug as they stared upon the horrible sight.

Peter was crying, sobbing, bawling like an oversized balding baby, cowering on the floor, away from Atlas who continued to glare at him; Ready to attack at any wrong move and Peter knew this, so he didn’t try anything.

“I’ll ask you again,” Sirius growled, pushing at the rat-man’s bloody face with his foot. Harry joined the pair, placing his hand upon Atlas’s shoulder in a reassuring manner. “You sold Lily, James and Amaya to Voldemort. Do you deny it?

“Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord…you have no idea…he has weapons you can’t imagine …I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I was never powerful and inventive like Amaya. I never meant it to happen…He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me –“

“DON’T LIE!” Sirius bellowed. “YOU’D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY, JAMES AND AMAYA DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!”

“He — he was taking over everywhere!” Peter gasped. “Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?”

“What was there to be gained by fighting the evilest wizard who has ever existed?” Sirius scowled. “Only innocent lives, Peter!”

“You don’t understand!” Peter whined and Atlas held back a not-so sudden urge to kick his head in like a deflated Quaffle. “He would have killed me, Sirius!”

“THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!” Sirius roared. “DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!”

Sirius and Remus stood right beside each other, shoulder-to-shoulder and hip-to-hip, wands raised together.

“You should have realized,” Remus began quietly, “if Voldemort didn’t kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter.”

Hermione hid her face in Atlas’s chest, the girl herself staring on unwaveringly, waiting for her father and uncle to put an end to the miserable life that was Peter Pettigrew. Only, it never came and instead, the hand upon her shoulder vanished, Harry’s presence by her side going with it as he ran out and placed himself between the wands and Peter.

“NO!” He yelled, “You can’t kill him,” he said breathlessly. “You can’t.”

Atlas blanched, Sirius and Remus, holding similar reactions on their faces.

“Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents, he’s the reason Atlas lost her mother,” Sirius snarled. “This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family and mine.”

“I know,” Harry panted. “We’ll take him up to the castle. We’ll hand him over to the Dementors…He can go to Azkaban…but don’t kill him.”

“Harry!” Peter gasped, and he flung his arms around Harry’s knees. “You — thank you — it’s more than I deserve — thank you –“

Atlas moved forward and punched Harry solidly in the face, sending him staggering into Sirius and Remus. The sharp thwack that had come with it echoing throughout the shack. He looked up at her, his nose just as broken as hers. They were even in that regard, at least.

“Atlas!” Hermione shrieked.

“Just minutes ago you were all for killing my own dad in front of me, Harry, what changed?” Atlas snarled, her entire figure tense and shaking. “We just found out, with indisputable proof, that this scabby fucking rat sold out our parents and you don’t want to see him pay for what he did?”

“No — no please!” Peter cried again and Atlas snapped her head to him. 

“Shut up!” she shouted, with such ferocity everyone in the room flinched. Everyone accept Sirius and Harry, the two too focussed on the girl in front of them. “You filthy traitor of a –” 

Before she could get any closer, Sirius wrapped his arms around her and pulled her away from the sobbing man-child, muttering soft words of reassurance in her ear as Hermione had done. They didn’t want a repeat of the broken windows. Harry stood in front of her, blocking her sight of Peter. There was a nervous smile on his face through the blood as he held his hands out to her as if she were a wild animal.

“I’m not doing this for him, Atlas…” He eased, taking up her hands as Sirius slowly slackened the hold he had of his daughter. Atlas just glared at Harry, “I’m doing it because — I don’t reckon our parents would’ve wanted Sirius and Remus to become killers, just for them…”

No one moved or made a sound except Peter, whose breath was coming in wheezes as he clutched his chest. There was silence between the god-siblings before Atlas eventually resigned, taking her hands from Harry and patting her dad’s arms to tell him to let go. He obliged, eyeing her worriedly as she went off to the four-poster and fell onto the old mattress. It disturbed Crookshanks who mewled loudly but ultimately ended in her lap, pruning against her front.

“You two are the only people who have the right to decide,” Sirius said, looking between Atlas and Harry, the girl now leaning her head against Ron who had moved to sit next to her. He was patting her back awkwardly but Atlas didn’t notice and if she did, she didn’t seem to care. “But think…think what he did.”

“He can go to Azkaban,” Harry repeated. “If anyone deserves that place, he does…and if he dies…how will we prove your innocence?”

Peter continued to pant through the silence.

“Very well,” Remus finally said. “Stand aside, Harry. I’m going to tie him up,” A pause. “That’s all, I swear.”

A light bang sounded from the centre of the room and Atlas sat up straight, glancing over to where Peter was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged. The sight brought some satisfaction to the back of her mind, itching a primal part of her brain but she didn’t outwardly react.

“But if you transform, Peter,” Sirius growled, his own wand pointing at Peter again, “we will kill you. You agree, Harry? Atlas?”

“Yes,” Atlas stated firmly while Harry mutely nodded, making sure to maintain eye contact with Peter when he did.

“Right,” Remus said, suddenly businesslike. “Ron, I can’t mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it’s best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing.”

He hurried over to Ron, bent down, tapped Ron’s leg with his wand, and muttered, “Ferula.” Bandages spun up Ron’s leg, strapping it tightly to a splint and Atlas helped him stand, watching as he tested out his bad leg, not wincing once.

“That’s better,” he confirmed. “Thanks.”

“What about Professor Snape?” Hermione asked in a small voice, looking down at Snape’s prone figure just behind Ron and Atlas. The two teens cast dismissive looks the professor’s way and exchanged small smiles. Atlas’s was a tired smile, watered down compared to Ron’s full smirk. Clearly, neither cared about the professor.

“There’s nothing seriously wrong with him,” Remus said and Atlas had to reign in the sigh bubbling through her throat, opting to just observe Remus as he checked the man’s pulse. “You were just a little — overenthusiastic. Still out cold. Er — perhaps it will be best if we don’t revive him until we’re safely back in the castle. We can take him like this….”

He muttered, “Mobilicorpus.” As though invisible strings were tied to Snape’s wrists, neck, and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, head still lolling unpleasantly, like a grotesque puppet. He hung a few inches above the ground, his limp feet dangling.

“And two of us should be chained to this,” Sirius said, nudging Peter with his toe. “Just to make sure.”

“I’ll do it,” Remus declared.

“And me,” Ron said, just as Atlas’s opened her mouth. He shot her a reassuring smile and limped forward, holding out his left arm so he was then shackled to Peter’s right – Remus’s right arm attached to Peter’s left. Crookshanks leapt lightly off of Atlas’s shoulder and led the way, his tail swishing lightly in the air as Atlas herself took back the spells she had cast on the exits.

She managed an eye roll at the Kneazle when she’d finished and turned to Hermione, holding out her hand and wiggling her fingers around in an enticing motion, “Come on then Mione…I’m tired and your bed sounds heavenly right now.”

“My bed?” Hermione smiled, taking the hand, “What happened to yours?”

“Mine doesn’t come with Hermione Granger,” Atlas muttered without a thought, sending heat to the very tips of the shorter girl’s ears. The pair were soon joined by Harry and Sirius, the escapee with his wand still pointed at a drifting Snape ahead of him; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling.

“So…” Sirius began unsure, glancing at Atlas who peered at him questioningly, a soft-tired sort of smile on her face, “you know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?”

“You’re free,” Harry said.

“And Pettigrew rots in a cell for the rest of his life,” Atlas added, scowling towards the front where Remus, Ron and Peter were.

“Yes…” Sirius nodded. Hermione looked between the three and awkwardly took her hand from Atlas, mumbling something under her breath about ‘leaving them to it’, “No, no, stay. I have some questions for you.”

“For me?” Hermione asked, brows furrowed. Atlas rolled her eyes.

“Dad…” she muttered, nudging him blindly. Sirius chuckled lightly, setting a smile on his daughter’s face, “Go on, Hermione. He’s being an old man.”

“I’m in my thirties.”

“Mid-thirties,” Atlas muttered and Sirius made a sound of offence. Hermione just looked between the father-daughter-godson trio and smiled before taking her leave and catching up to the three, (four, counting Crookshanks) at the front.

There was a moment of comfortable silence, “Do you think now is a good time to respond to all of those…questions you had for Dog?”

“Questions?” Harry smiled as Atlas sighed tiredly, “What questions?”

“Nothing, Harry and no…it’s not a good time,” Atlas mumbled, looking off to the side and tucking her battered hands in her pockets. Sirius looked over at her carefully before dropping the subject.

“Just know you were never a means to an end, little star. I love you, alright?” he muttered quickly and Atlas tensed at the words, gulping down a rock in her throat and nodding soundlessly.

“Yeah…I know.”

“Good…” Sirius smiled and then addressed the god siblings as a whole, Harry just staring at Atlas’s profile worriedly, “I…uh…I heard you know I’m your godfather, Harry,” He began and the bespectacled boy turned to him, “And…you Atlas, I know you’re living with Minnie right now but–” now both of them were looking at him, “I’ll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your respective guardians — but well, think about it. Once my name’s cleared…if you wanted a — a different home–“

“What — live with you!?” Harry exclaimed, smashing his head on a low hanging rock of the ceiling; he carried on like it was nothing. “Leave the Dursleys?”

“Of course, I thought you wouldn’t want to,” Sirius said. “I understand, I just thought I’d –“

“Are you insane?” Harry wheezed. “Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?”

“You want to?” Sirius said. “You mean it?”

“Yeah, I mean it!” Harry shouted and Sirius’s gaunt face broke out into a true, delighted grin. He looked youthful like that, the same as he had in the passing photo’s Atlas had seen of him. Atlas just stared between the two fondly, only to jolt when the two turned to look at her, “We could live together, Atlas!”

“Oh…uh,” Atlas bit the inside of her cheek and Sirius looked suddenly downtrodden. Alight with new energy, Atlas quickly waved her hands around, “No! No! I’d like to live with you dad, it’s just…I don’t really want to leave Minerva alone again…not before I set her up with Madam Pomfrey anyway.”

“They’re still dancing around each other then?” Sirius smiled, his mood lifted, Harry looked confused while Atlas nodded with a mischievous grin. “Been like that since I was a boy.”

“Wait, Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall? They’re…they’re–?”

“In love? Oh yeah,” Atlas smiled, nodding her head and rubbing at her half-lidded eyes to get them open. “Everyone knows Minnie is a witch and wizard lover. Poppy dated Madam Rosmerta at one point too…”

“Madam Rosmerta too?” 

“Most witches and wizards of today are…experimental,” Atlas told and Harry gaped, “Yeah…Muggle prejudice doesn’t really reach our world in that sense…it’s more about blood-status and magical prowess.”

“Oh…” Harry muttered and then grinned. It looked a little grim considering his nose was broken and dried blood had donned his upper lip and tainted his teeth but it was a grin nonetheless, “Brilliant!”

“Pureblood families don’t generally like it though,” Sirius piped in, “A duty of a pureblood child is to carry on the bloodline after all…”

“Don’t remind me,” Atlas mumbled.

“I’m not going to force you to marry someone you don’t love, little star,” Sirius cleared and Atlas smiled, “I’m quite looking forward to yours and Hermione’s wedding.”

“This cave echoes, dad,” Atlas hissed lowly, peering over Snape’s body to see if the front had heard, luckily it seemed they hadn’t but it didn’t stop her from setting a firm glare on her father, further turning it to Harry who was having a hard time stifling his laughs, “Oh yeah, really funny. We’re not a thing, why does everyone insist the opposite…?”

“Because you’re good together,” Sirius smiled and Atlas eased up, huffing and rolling her eyes at her dad. She really couldn’t stay mad at him because, in truth, she was ecstatic. She was just too tired to show it. Her dad was walking beside her, Harry too like one small happy (ish) family. It felt surreal.

They soon came to the exit, leading out to the Whomping Willow. Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Remus, Pettigrew, Ron and Hermione clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches. Sirius saw Snape out and went next, Harry following close whilst Atlas held up the rear and steadied herself to climb out.

A hand extended down to her and Atlas looked up, seeing Hermione smiling softly and shaking her hand about. “Come on Atty, I thought you wanted to get to bed?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Atlas mumbled, taking the hand. With a joint effort, she was pulled out, the cold air hitting her like a brick. It was a strangely welcome brick though because it numbed the pain her body was in. From her fists up to her nose, the pain dulled to a mere ache.

The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without another word, they set off. Hermione examined Atlas’s hands and nose, the older girl just letting it happen, all the while enduring teasing glances from both Harry and her dad. It was honestly like dealing with two children but she didn’t mind, it was good to see the two of them so carefree. Considering they had just been trying to kill each other – Harry more so than Sirius – it was also quite whiplash-inducing.

Though Atlas couldn’t talk, she’d assaulted three people that night. First Snape, then Peter and then Harry, (though the first two were valid and the last was basically payback for her own broken nose).

Hermione pulled her to a stop, knocking her out of her trance. “Hermione, what is it–?”

“He didn’t take his potion tonight!” She shouted, pointing over at Remus who had gone rigid, his limbs shaking and cracking. “He’s not safe!”

“Run!” Sirius ordered, “Run. Now.”

“Dad, no–!”

“Leave it to me — RUN!”

A terrible snarling sound came from ahead and Atlas watched with wide eyes, the terror of a werewolf’s transformation. Remus cried out as his head, body, arms, legs — everything — lengthened. His shoulders hunching over and hair sprouting all over the visible bits of his body. The nails at the end of his fingers popped out and large claws protruded from them instead, reminding Atlas an awful lot of the ones she’d seen accompanying Peter all those years ago.

Without a glance at the carnage that was her shifted dad fighting off Remus, Atlas darted toward Ron, gritting her teeth together as she pulled at the chains. A low rumble came from her gut as she pulled, her hands shifting and the chain links snapping apart, freeing Ron from the shackle, he looked at her in amazement, though it quickly turned to fear. “Atlas, Pettigrew!

But it was too late. When she turned, Peter had already brandished Remus’s dropped wand and sent a spell directly to her chest. Next thing she knew, she was flying through the air, the ground a lot farther than it had been. She braced herself, covering her head with her arms as her body collided with bush. Peter had sent her flying down the bank and into the brambles beneath.

A strangled cry escaped her, thorns, sharp sticks and rocks digging into her skin. Through gritted teeth, she shifted, the hide of her form protecting her from anything else but the damage had been done. She lay there, as a Dire-wolf, and stared up at the sky, heavy, bated breaths huffing past her maws.

The howls of Remus and another met her ears and they twitched slightly, flicking away a thorn. With great difficulty, she pushed herself to her paws and waded through the high brambles, ducking her head as she went and then her eye caught the strangest thing. She thought she saw Hermione and Harry, but that wasn’t possible because they were back up the bank.

Another figure caught her eye, the figure of a werewolf padding in the direction ‘Harry’ and ‘Hermione’ had wandered off to. She went after them, jumping over boulders and pouncing into the Forbidden Forest towards the figures. Remus was just ahead of her stalking towards the pair of unsuspecting teens that were indeed Harry and Hermione.

She lunged and knocked Remus to the ground, the werewolf scrambling to catch himself upright, leaves, twigs and mud kicking up around him. Atlas placed herself in front of Harry and Hermione protectively. 

As if disapparating, Remus was upon Atlas’s back in an instant, digging his claws deep into her sides and biting at her shoulder, ripping new wounds up her ribs and puncturing holes into her trapezius. The giant wolf howled out in pain and threw herself against a tree, dislodging the werewolf who quickly backed away and circled her dangerously. Atlas mirroring the action but made sure to remain in front of Harry and Hermione.

In terms of strength and power, Dire-wolves topped werewolves by miles but Frog was inexperienced, she’d never attacked something humanoid like a werewolf. She’d only ever hunted small animals and the odd deer, never magical beasts. So this was new to her and also quite painful. This was Uncle Remus, she didn’t want to fight him.

They clashed again and Atlas, with noticeable hesitance, bit into Remus’s shoulder, flinging him over into a tree where he lay motionless for a second, whimpering and whining. Guilt clawed at Atlas’s gut as she stood there, panting with heavy amounts of blood dripping from the openings in her sides. Then, much to her relief, Remus stood and hightailed it out of there, leaving her to sway unsteadily.

“Frog!” That stupid name. Atlas turned to look over at Hermione, whimpering softly, “You’re hurt, you’re — you’re hurt badly!” She yelled, hands shaking as she brought them up to touch at the long slash marks in her hide. “I can’t — we can’t stay b-but…” She looked torn, panicked and guilty so Atlas made the decision for her and steadily made her way towards the castle. “Where are you going?”

“Hermione, come on!” Harry urged, pulling the girl along. Hermione continued staring after her but Atlas didn’t notice, too busy keeping herself awake. She could feel the venom of the werewolf seeping into her bloodstream and knew instantly just how bad it was going to hurt, she was lucky she was an Animagus otherwise she would have a first-class ticket to Lycanthropy.

The castle came into view so she shifted back, quickly crumbling to her knees and further falling to her front. Footsteps sounded in her right ear but she didn’t see who had stumbled upon her body.

“Help…please…”

Was all she could muster before her eyes drooped close and a bloody scene welcomed her as it always did when she slept.