Chapter 64

Two golden coated unicorn foals trotted around Atlas, nudging at her hands, stomach, anywhere they could reach just to grab her attention, but the girl was occupied glaring at Hagrid, the half-giant with his head bowed and large hands wringing together as he thought up an excuse for his avoidant behaviour. Atlas sighed and ran a hand through her hair exasperatedly, offering the two foals a few pats before advancing on the man and sitting beside him on his stairs. They let a few moments of silence flit between them, simply admiring the two young beasts.

“I’m sorry I avoided yeh…I knew yeh didn’ hate me. I jus’ needed some time to me’self is all.”

“It’s alright Hagrid,” Atlas nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder – which required quite the deal of stretching. “I was just a little upset because I thought you thought I hated you and that’s rather insulting actually,” she chuckled and Hagrid grunted in understanding, still wringing his hands together. “Because, you know…we’re sort of the same aren’t we? People say bad stuff about us because of our blood…because of who we’re related to.”

“Yeh…yeh’re right, always are,” Hagrid smiled, placing a hand on her head so heavily she almost sunk through the cabin stairs, they even creaked in resistance, but Atlas took it in her stride. She’d had many encounters with Hagrid and his accidental strength just as he had with hers in her Dire-wolf form, Frog. In fact, she’d once sent him flying into one of his prize-winning pumpkins just before a Halloween Feast. Of course, she’d been beyond apologetic but he’d waved it off and patted her back, subsequently sending her into another prize-winning pumpkin. Let’s just say Hagrid won no awards that year but the memories were reward enough.

A bell tolled from within one of the towers of Hogwarts and soon, students poured from the courtyard, Gryffindors and Slytherins making their way down the bank to meet Hagrid and start their first lesson of Care of Magical Creatures with him as their professor again. Atlas could hear the whispers from where she stood, right by a shaking Hagrid who had resorted to wringing his hands out once again. She reached up and punched his shoulder lightly, grinning when he turned to look down at her.

“You’ll do great, Hagrid!”

“Tah, Atlas…” He whispered back through a gruff tone and Atlas saluted, jogging over to where she saw her trio approaching, muttering greetings to a few of her fellow housemates and smirking at Parvati in particular when she noticed Lavender grab the girls hand. That earned a flustered look and Atlas simply laughed, catching the eye of Neville moments later, the words of Madam Pince echoing through her mind. 

Right, she needed to remind the boy to take his books back. She’d do it after the lesson. It was a half-day today so this would be their final class before dinner. Atlas’s final class before the trial the following day. At that thought, she gave an involuntary shudder.

“You alright?” Atlas nodded, slapping her hand against Harry’s in greeting and turning to do the same with Ron, she simply grinned at Hermione and then tore her gaze away before her mind wandered to their moment the night before last. 

It was a moment she had been trying desperately to distract herself from because otherwise, she’d be doing more than melting holes in the floor of Snape’s class after a failed potion and definitely more than singing Seamus’s eyebrows off in a DADA exercise. In short, she’d been tragically occupied by the memory for a while and it wasn’t doing her any favours. Not practically any way, it served as great background entertainment when Divination got too boring.

“Yeah, you? Didn’t see you at Lunch,” Harry smiled.

“I’ve been preparing Hagrid, he’s been really nervous,” Atlas said, running a hand through her hair as she glanced back to the man, flashed him a smile and sent him two reassuring thumbs up that he reciprocated half-heartedly, his smile falling short and his hands shaking so badly, from a distance, it simply looked like he was holding up two fists.

“That’s kind of you,” Hermione acknowledged and Atlas turned to her, grinning nervously as Hermione seemed to hug her books just that bit tighter. Ron and Harry exchanged a look, that look that had become a frequent thing between the boys, or just when they wanted to say something to each other but already knew the other was thinking it.

“Yeah…” Atlas coughed, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Least I could do…Anyway, did I miss anything?”

“Yes, actually,” Harry nodded and Atlas quirked a brow, the four of them turning to join the rest of their class. “Sirius wrote back.”

“Why am I always absent every time you get his responses?” Atlas groaned.

“Just your luck,” Ron smirked and Atlas flicked his ear. “Bloody hell, that hurt!”

“What did he say?” Atlas asked, ignoring the ginger beside her as he cradled his throbbing ear.

“He just asked when the next Hogsmeade weekend was,” Harry shrugged and Atlas scrunched her face up.

“Do you think he’s planning to meet us?”

“I doubt he’d be so stupid,” Hermione said but Atlas shook her head.

“Nope, he’d definitely be so stupid,” she sighed. “Well…he’d tell you it wasn’t stupid and that it was actually brave and genius…he’s just like that. According to my mum’s journals anyway, he could have changed, then again…I really do doubt it.”

“You’ve really got to let me read those some time,” Harry grinned and Atlas mirrored it, nodding at the suggestion. She’d never really thought about letting her friends read through some of the adventures the Marauders had gone on but now that she did, she realised how much fun it might be. In honesty, it could do Harry some good as well, as Atlas was pretty sure she knew more about Harry’s parents than he did. It’d be good to give him an inside look at just who his parents were.

“If dad does plan to meet us on the Hogsmeade trip, he’s all good, he lived in Hogsmeade as his Animagus for a year, you know? He’ll be fine…if he doesn’t do anything reckless,” Atlas slowly grimaced. “Which is actually…incredibly unlikely.”

“I magnet of trouble, bit like you, Atlas,” Ron grinned and then ducked when Atlas swiped for him, the two of them breaking out into a sprint when Ron decided to run down the rest of the hill, and Atlas, being ever the competitive spirit, lunged after him, leaving Harry and Hermione at the top of the bank. Well, that was until Harry joined them. Hermione rolled her eyes, walking from step to step as she caught up to them.

At the bottom, Ron was sprawled out on his back, Atlas with her foot on his stomach looking triumphant while Harry rubbed at the back of his head, chuckling and trying to soothe the pain of a particularly nasty slap to his scalp. Seamus and Dean stood laughing and pointing at the scene, Neville smiling slightly while Parvati and Lavender shook their heads, rolled their eyes and turned back – with stars in their eyes – to the Unicorn foals.

“Idiots, Atlas, let him up. Ron, get up. Oh, Harry, stop being so whiny,” Hermione scolded all at once, crossing her arms, unimpressed as she then motioned over to where Hagrid had started the class. “You’re missing registration.”

“All work, no play…” Atlas grumbled but did as told, extending a hand to help Ron up. He took it and she pulled him to his feet, hooking an arm around his shoulder and Harry’s to guide them over to the rest of the class. There, Hagrid was giving them a lecture on Unicorn foals.

“Easier ter spot than the adults,” Hagrid told the class. “They turn silver when they’re abou’ two years old, an’ they grow horns at aroun’ four. Don’ go pure white till they’re full-grown, ’round about seven. They’re a bit more trustin’ when they’re babies…don’ mind boys so much…C’mon, move in a bit, yeh can pat ’em if yeh want…give ’em a few o’ these sugar lumps…”

He held his hand out flat and a good majority of the class moved forward to each grab a cube of sugar, even the Slytherins seemed genuinely interested in the lesson and Atlas couldn’t help but smirk when she saw how badly they tried to cover up their like and intrigue. There were, of course, three who didn’t very much look like they were having any fun but Atlas couldn’t care any less and took it all as a win under Hagrid’s belt. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle just weren’t people to be stressing over.

“I was in the library earlier–“

“Hermione,” Atlas interrupted, turning her head to cast a sideways look at the girl. “You really need to pick out a better opener…like, ‘I thought of you earlier’ or ‘I saw something that reminded me of you earlier’, you know…something that’ll get a conversation going.”

“A conversation where the main topic is you is what gets a conversation going?” Hermione questioned, eyebrow slowing raising and Atlas couldn’t help but follow it, gaze then drifting down to where Hermione’s lips slowly curved into a smile.

“I mean…you said it.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“You’re literally the only person that has ever and will ever say that to me,” Atlas smirked and then turned fully, so her attention was entirely seized by the girl in front of her. Not that it already wasn’t. “So, what were you doing in the library, kitty-cat?”

“We’re not calling me that.”

“Aw, but–“

“Atlas, I swear…do not, call me that,” Hermione warned and Atlas flushed, nodding slowly. “Good, alright then,” She brushed herself down, reaching out to do the same to Atlas. “I was in the library and I came across your mother’s book while looking for texts on defensive magic – she’s avidly mentioned in that section of books for some reason – anyway, and so, yeah, I happened upon it.”

“Oh yeah? And what about it?”

“Well, I thought you might’ve wanted to read it.”

“You believe that it’s readable now?” Atlas grinned, an eyebrow cocked. “Thought you said it was unreadable?”

“Atty, what Titan God bore the burden of the world?” 

“Uh…me, Atlas?”

“Yes, and who was the dedication page too?”

“Those who uh…something-something…bear the burden of the world…? Oh,” Atlas murmured and Hermione chuckled, rolling her eyes. “It was dedicated to me?”

“That’s what I think. It might be why you can read it, maybe your mum enchanted the words?”

“Yeah but…why?”

“That’s what we’ll find out when you read it,” Hermione smiled.

“Are you sure though? I mean…she wrote that book before I was born. You’re saying she had the name Atlas picked out for me before I was like…even in the plans?” Atlas asked and Hermione nudged her shoulder.

“Maybe you were always in the plans,” She suggested, smiling softly. “A great plan, might I add.”

Atlas had no idea how to respond to that.

“I…yeah,” She said, instead, nodding slowly as heat spread through her cheeks and a shy smile donned her features. “Thanks…uh…” then she walked away, turning stiffly and walking over to where Hagrid and Harry were talking, mumbling under her breath and hitting the bridge of her nose frustratedly. “Smooth, real smooth, Atlas. You were doing so good and then she — she just…damn it.”

“Atlas,” Harry called and Atlas turned to him, quirking a brow at his tight smile. “We’re all good on the hint front, aren’t we? All ready for tomorrow!” he cheered and Atlas felt her mouth hang open the slightest bit as she just stared at the boy dumbly. 

What was he getting at? They still had no idea how they were going to survive for an hour underwater, no matter how many books they scoured or teachers they begged. Well, Ron and Harry had done most of the begging while Hermione and Atlas watched, one amused and one reeling with second-hand embarrassment — that wasn’t the point. What was Harry doing shouting out to everybody that they had it covered? Atlas could practically feel the unimpressed stare Hermione had on her back.

Then her gaze lifted ever so slightly to Hagrid’s beaming grin and she understood. Harry was doing this to instil some sort of comfort within Hagrid, the man so badly wanted for either of them to win after all. So, with the greatest false bravado, she had ever conjured, Atlas nodded, smiling a tad too wide and tensing just a tad too much. Hagrid didn’t notice, however, so Atlas took that as a win and continued over to them.   

“Oh yeah, worked that out ages ago,” She nodded as nonchalantly as she could, hooking an arm over Harry’s shoulder. “Hogwarts is gonna win this Hagrid, just you watch,” she then added with an obvious waver to her voice, Harry laughed awkwardly, mutely agreeing with every word she said. 

It seemed neither of them could bring themselves to dampen the joyous mood of Hagrid and so the two ended up continuing with the confident charade the entire class, randomly making comments about tomorrows trial in the middle of lesson and acting nonplussed about the whole task being only a few hours away, totally cool, totally assured and totally ready. And honestly, Atlas thought it was worth it, smiling every time Hagrid so much as quirked the corner of his mouth with pride.

Trouble was, the whole thing was, after all, a charade and Atlas found herself feeling worse about the task by the end of the lesson because it was all an act, she wasn’t happy, nor confident or sure of anything. She just wished she was, wished it all wasn’t just some act to cheer up Hagrid. But what could be done?

The lesson soon came to an end and with a dismissive wave, Atlas excused herself from her quartet, jogging over to where she saw Neville talking to Seamus and Dean excitedly and from the looks of it, it seemed it was on Herbology. Something about Moody, Sprout and a plant he was thinking of buying when he got home. That was just what Atlas was able to read anyway, but he moved so erratically he often blocked his lips from view.

“Neville!” She called, jogging to a stop in front of him, he turned to her and grinned, greeting her kindly.

“Atlas, how are you?”

“Just fine, Neve, just fine. I was just coming over to tell you Madam Pince wants her books back,” she smiled and Neville chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He often handed his books in late so Atlas wasn’t surprised at how fearful he looked at the prospect of giving them in late again to a lady as stern as Madam Pince. “Don’t worry about Pince, she may act cross but she really does care for everyone, maybe not more than books but the affection is there. Deep. Deep. Deep down.”

“Really?”

“No, but hey, if you want, you can meet me outside the library tonight before it closes, I’ll hand them in with you,” Atlas offered and Neville considerably lightened, beaming brightly.

“You would? Ah, thanks Atlas!”

“No problem Neve, just don’t forget!”

“I won’t! I promise! I — I’ll make myself remember!”

He waved her goodbye as she turned and left.

By evening, Atlas felt as if the weight of a thousand worlds had been pressed upon her shoulders, there was no hope for tomorrow because even if by some great miracle sent from whatever deity or god may be out there was bestowed upon her and she found the perfect spell for her and Harry amongst the copious tomes and texts she had sprawled out in front of her, she didn’t even think she would be able to learn it, let alone Harry. And she was a quick study.

They were doomed. 

“Let’s take a break,” Hermione declared and the boys plus Atlas gaped at her, fatigued eyes widened to the best of their sluggish ability. Atlas about collapsed at the declaration, her head softly connecting with the table where she would have slipped unconscious for the rest of her days but – unfortunately – Hermione was quick to interrupt, shaking her gently and making an effort to pull her upright. “Not you.”

“What?” Atlas whined as Harry and Ron shared lazy grins and laughed at her expense. “Piss off, you two.”

“Atty, come on,” Hermione coaxed and Atlas groaned, stumbling to her feet and yawning as she blearily followed Hermione’s figure. Their surroundings grew quieter, voices muffled by the shelves of books that acted as blankets to shield their apparent destination from being overheard and eavesdropped upon. They kept going, Atlas idly brushing her hands across books, lathering the tips of her fingers in coats of dust, she grimaced and brushed her palms upon her front.

“Mi, where are we going?”

“To find your mothers book.”

“We’re doing that now?”

“Do you — do you not want to?” Hermione stopped, turning to look at her over her shoulder. She was apparently more excited than Atlas and that stumped her, Atlas always seemed so eager to learn new things about her mother, new things about herself. So why was she being so unwilling?

“I don’t know…what if it leaves me with more questions?”

“What if it leaves you with answers?” Hermione countered and Atlas smiled disbelievingly, shaking her head as she began walking again while Hermione smiled triumphantly. 

Soon they’d found the defensive spells aisle and the bookworm quickly moved over to a certain shelf with purpose, immediately plucking a book from within its row. They moved to sit in a beanbag sat snugly at the wall by the end of the lane, sinking so their bodies pressed up against each other warmly. The cosiness was enough to send Atlas to sleep but Hermione’s sharp motion as she opened the book startled her from her almost sleep.

“Alright, what does it say?” Hermione handed it to her and Atlas read the first couple of pages in silence, scratching the back of her head at moments and blinking rapidly in others. 

All the while, Hermione remained silent, at first glancing furtively between Atlas and the book before deciding to just settle her head against the girl’s shoulder, eyes drifting over the words that were so impossibly jumbled and incoherent to her. She idly wondered what the page looked like to Atlas and almost envied the girls ability to read such a mess of words. It was not until a few moments later that Hermione got some sort of reaction. Atlas made a frustrated noise at the back of her throat, sitting up slightly and shifting so suddenly, Hermione fell further into her chest.

“Woah!” Hermione yelped and then quickly cupped her mouth in hand, hoping she hadn’t alerted Madam Pince. They may have been in a secluded area and the books might have muffled their voices but Pince still had some freaky way of knowing when somebody in the library was being too loud. When no angry elderly woman came storming after them, demanding they leave, Hermione sat up, looking up at Atlas’s face contorted in disappointment. “Atlas what is it?”

“It’s a journal.”

“And?”

“And nothing, it’s just…words. I understand them but I can’t fully comprehend them, it’s like there’s a block in my mind that I just can’t get over,” She muttered bitterly and Hermione frowned, reaching out to take the book from her hands, saving her from reading any further for fear she might grow angrier. “It’s about some experiment she did, with…I think Newt Scamander and some other person, I think — I think her name was Visha. That’s what it said but what they were experimenting on I couldn’t — couldn’t grasp.”

“Newt Scamander? The Magizoologist?” Hermione asked and Atlas nodded. “That’s curious. He’s missing, isn’t he? Lived in Dorset after retiring but then he went and disappeared–“

“15 years ago…I know, he was a close friend of my mother,” Atlas murmured, rubbing between her brows. “Who’s Visha? It…it sounds familiar, the name.”

“I’ve never heard of her, maybe you should ask Professor Moody?”

“Why?”

“They were partners, weren’t they? Him and your mum, he’s got to know something about her,” Hermione encouraged.

“Right…” Atlas sighed and nodded, she glanced at the book in Hermione’s hand, reached out, took it back and stood, thumbing the cover dejectedly, “We should head back to the boys,” she murmured, slotting it back to its place. Hermione watched her worriedly, wringing her hands together in thought. Atlas caught the motion and huffed. What was it with people wringing their hands at her today? “What’s wrong?”

“I thought it would help.”

“…it gave me names,” Atlas shrugged and Hermione glanced up at her. “It did leave me with more questions but…I think, after the tasks, I’ll know where to start looking now.”

“Where?”

“Into him. Newt Scamander.”

“You think he has answers?”

“Mi, he was in a book about an unlisted experiment with my mother and some other lady that nobody has even heard of and he just so happens to go missing when Voldemort was at his peak?” Atlas smiled with a minuscule glimmer of hope. “If he doesn’t have answers, then…well, guess I’ll be stumbling through life blind. Dumbledore promised me answers when I was ready…and…honestly, I don’t think that’ll be anytime soon, so I might as well take initiative.”

“Yeah,” Hermione nodded with a small smile of her own. “And I’ll help you.”

“Mi…”

“I won’t take denial. I won’t let you go this alone, Atlas…when the time comes, maybe I will but right now, you know you need all the help you can get,” Hermione shut down resolutely and Atlas stared at her, gaze softening as she shook her head lightly and turned, walking back the way they had come. Hermione took that as her win and followed after her smugly, the two of them finally finding themselves back at their table with the boys who’d both seemed to have gone back to studying. Atlas was sort of impressed.

“I don’t reckon it can be done,” Ron said flatly as soon as they had returned to their chairs, he glanced up at them, looking between them defeatedly, Harry doing the same with a similar look in his eye. “There’s nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake.”

“There must be something,” Hermione insisted, getting back into her zone and shuffling through loose papers. Atlas did the same beside her, grabbing some Charm books and moving them aside. “They’d never set a task that was undoable.”

“They have,” Ron grumbled. “Look, both of you just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your heads in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they’ve nicked, and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do.”

“There has to be a way of doing it,” Hermione said, a tad crossly. Atlas gave her knee a squeeze beneath the table and then brought it back up to flip idly through a page, shooting the girl an assuring smile when Hermione turned to look at her, flushed but clearly exhausted.

“I know what we should have done,” Harry said, resting, face-down, on Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. Atlas looked up at him, curious as to what they should have done. “We should’ve learned to be an Animagus like Sirius.”

Atlas withheld her laugh.

“Yeah, you could’ve turned into a goldfish any time you wanted!” Ron agreed.

“Or a frog,” Harry yawned and Atlas smiled, nudging him under the table.

“Hey, there can only be one Frog,” She remarked and Hermione laughed, Harry, rolling his eyes.

“Fine then, a shark,” he reasoned but Atlas shook her head.

“You turn into a shark and the Giant Squid will eat you for lunch. Shark’s his favourite food, he’ll sense you even if you’re a mile away,” she told and then grinned, “Besides, when you turn into an Animagus, you don’t get to choose your form. It’s sort of a gamble and usually, it takes after your Patronus. Well, your initial Patronus because they can change but your Animagus can’t. So you’d be a Stag, Harry, like James.”

“Patronuses can change?” Hermione said and Atlas nodded. “I’ve never read anything about that.”

“It’s not really documented because there isn’t a concrete reason. Sometimes they change because of the individual and sometimes they change to match the Patronus of the one the witch or wizard loves wholeheartedly,” she turned back to her book. “Anyway, it’s not really worth it, you turn yourself into an undocumented Animagus and you’ll either get thrown in Azkaban or branded.”

“Really?” Ron asked, looking quite pale.

“Yeah, don’t you remember? Hermione mentioned it last year in the Shrieking Shack,” Atlas confirmed, missing the small smile Hermione wore at her words, sort of thrilled Atlas had remembered even when the time had been so hectic. “It’s a scarring brand, will never fade and can never be rid of, even if you were to endure another injury on top, it’s horrible stuff really. The ministry only uses it on their most vile and dangerous Illegal Animagi.”

“That’s horrible, do you think if they found out Sirius was an Illegal Animagus, they’d do that to him?” Harry asked, grimacing in a way that looked almost painful.

“Yeah, I don’t like to think so but yes, definitely,” Atlas frowned and then rubbed between her brows, “Anyway, let’s just get back on task.”

“It’s no use,” Hermione sighed, shaking her head as she snapped Weird Wizarding Dilemmas shut. Atlas blanched, startled to see the girl give up so easily but then she supposed she and Harry weren’t the only ones feeling hopeless, Atlas had noticed Hermione had been very down for the past few weeks but she’d assumed it was just to do with their task. Maybe that was too self-centred of her? Perhaps her and Viktor were having trouble? If only Atlas was so lucky. No, she shouldn’t think that. No matter how much she would just thrive if that were the case. Hermione was her best friend first and foremost and she should just leave it like that. “Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” A voice said simply from behind them and Atlas was knocked from her jealous stupor, turning to see Fred and George coming from behind a bookshelf. Fred had apparently been the one to speak. “Be a talking point, wouldn’t it?”

“Merlin, what are these idiots doing here?” Atlas grumbled.

“Not very nice you know,” George commented, crossing his arms.

“After everything we’ve done for you,” Fred sighed.

“You gave me feathers!” Atlas snapped.

“Oh come on, it was a look. Made you look cuddly for once,” George smirked.

“She always looks cuddly,” Hermione retorted and the twins looked at her suspiciously while Atlas simply grinned, crossing her arms and puffing up with pride.

“Yeah, I’m cuddly.”

“I thought you didn’t do cuddles,” Harry jeered and Atlas flushed, half tempted to throw one of Hermione’s large tomes at his head. “I joke.”

“Prick…”

“What’re you two doing here?” Ron finally asked.

“Looking for you, actually,” George said, motioning to his younger brother. “McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione.”

“Why?” Hermione asked, looking incredibly surprised. Atlas suddenly had a very uneasy feeling about this.

“Dunno…she was looking a bit grim, though,” Fred said. “You’re not the only ones though, so I don’t think you’re in trouble.”

“What do you mean not the only ones?” Atlas asked.

“Well, we just had to take–“

“Oi, Fred, we should really take them,” George urged, glancing down at his watch and, honestly, it was the first time Atlas had seen the boy look genuinely disturbed. Was Minerva really that frightening? Well, yes actually, especially if she was looking as grim as Fred described. That could only mean bad news or regretful actions, possibly both. Atlas hoped it wasn’t both.

“We’ll meet you back in the common room,” Hermione told the two champions as she and Ron got up to follow the twins, the two of them looking very anxious indeed. “It’s closing time soon anyway.”

“Right,” Harry said uneasily. All Atlas could do was nod and watch as they walked away. “What do you think’s going to happen to them?”

“Hopefully, detention. Anything more and I might cry,” Atlas joked lamely, sucking in a breath between her teeth, she turned back to Harry and began stuffing her bag. “Come on, we should go, Library is closing soon.”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded gravely and the two of them packed their things, muttering goodnight to a Madam Pince, the woman glowing in the candlelight she had beside her face and nodding as they exited. Only, Atlas stopped as soon as she did, as she spotted Neville hurrying down the corridor, a pile of books under his chin. Right, it seemed she’d almost been the one to forget their arrangement. “What’s Neville doing here?”

“Returning books. You go on ahead Harry, I’ll be with you in a moment, I promised Neville I’d help him face Pince,” She smiled and waved as Harry hesitantly continued back to their dorms without her, nodding to Neville as he went by.

Ever the sweetheart, Neville tried his best to reciprocate but Harry had already turned down another corridor by the time he swivelled around and in his eagerness to bid the boy goodbye, he tripped over his own feet. Atlas lurched forward, catching the books from the air as they fell, unfortunately missing the large figure that was falling much faster than she could have anticipated. Neville collided with the floor heavily, causing a loud bang to echo across the corridor. The library door open sharply and Madam Pince stared down at the boy severely, her gaze flickering up to Atlas, eyes sweeping over the books the girl had caught so readily.

“My books!” The woman suddenly exclaimed, taking them from Atlas and checking them over while the Black helped her fellow Gryffindor from the ground. “I knew you were a good egg, Atlas. You saved my books.”

“You’re…welcome?”

“Thank you,” she smiled, genuinely – it startled Atlas so badly she almost shrieked – before turning her gaze upon Neville again. “Mr Longbottom please refrain from missing the due date of so many books, ever again.”

“Y-yes Miss,” Neville nodded, rubbing at his chin gingerly. Atlas offered the boy a sympathetic smile as Pince huffed and moved back into the library, leaving them alone in the corridor. “Thanks for catching the books Atlas, I wouldn’t have made it out alive if you hadn’t.”

“Ordinarily, I really would have you caught you, Neve, but I was thinking along the same lines. Pince doesn’t mess around when it comes to her books,” Atlas chuckled and Neville nodded. “Come on then, let’s get back.”

“Thanks again, oh, have you made any progress? With the trial, I know you were gushing about your confidence in Care of Magical Creatures but I just wanted to know what you came up with,” he smiled good-naturedly but suddenly Atlas felt sick.

“Well, about that, we have no idea,” She admitted and Neville went just as pale as she.

“But — but how are you going to compete?”

“No clue. Me, Harry, Hermione and Ron have been knuckling down, trying to figure out solutions for weeks now, but no matter where we look, we haven’t come across anything that’ll help us somehow, I don’t know, breath underwater?” Atlas sighed, her face in her hands. Neville seemed to regard her a moment before breaking out into a monumental grin.

“You could use Gillyweed!”

“What?”

“I found it in that Herbology book Moody recommended, no wonder you couldn’t find a solution, I already had the book taken out of the library! It’s rare too so there are not many books available!” Neville cheered and Atlas didn’t know whether to strangle him or thank him. All those sleepless nights when the solution was just right there. Better late than never she supposed.

“Ok, yes, where do I find this…Gillyweed?”

“That I…don’t know. Maybe Professor Snape has some? You could ask Professor McGonagall–“

“Teachers can’t help students…but you’re right about Snape, I just need to figure out how I’m going to sneak into his storage,” Atlas murmured and then brightened, a light flashing on behind her eyes. “I got it!”

“Got what?”

“Neville, you’re the best. Amazing! Purely spectacular! Your Gran doesn’t know just how great you are!” She exclaimed, hugging him fiercely before taking off down the hall leaving the boy on the brink of tears. She sprinted down corridors, slid around corners before skidding to a halt in front of the painting of the Fruitbowl.

She tickled the pear impatiently, practically ripping the painting from its hinges as she slammed it and whirled around, the elves stopping their tasks all at once. Every single one. Dobby came running up to her, looking inquisitive and eager to serve, while Winky stayed by the fire, drinking away her sorrows. Atlas was too buzzed to notice at that moment, though the little elf was half concealed by a large blanket so it wasn’t entirely her fault she hadn’t noticed.

“Miss Atlas! What can Dobby do for you?”

“Dobby! Where’s Fobbo?” Atlas rushed, a smile on her face.

“Dobby is sorry Miss, Fobbo isn’t here, Fobbo is out to see his friend,” Dobby told and Atlas stopped, quirking a brow.

“A friend?”

“Yes, Miss, a very special friend. Fobbo is most happy when he is speaking of her. She is from his before times!”

“Before times?” Atlas murmured.

“Oh…I is not supposed to be saying that Miss…that was most terrible of Dobby! Most terrible!” Dooby shrieked, reaching for a heavy-looking goblet, Atlas panicked and grabbed it before he could, seeking to change the topic.

“Wait! Uh, is it like…a lady friend? Is Fobbo seeing a lady friend?” She grinned tightly.

“Well, yes Miss, Fobbo’s friend is a lady,” Dobby nodded, apparently misunderstanding Atlas’s question, she waved it off though and resumed smiling, happy to see he wasn’t trying to injure himself anymore.

“Dobby, can you get something for me and Harry?”

“Dobby will do anything for Atlas Black and Harry Potter!” Dobby nodded along, his giant ears flapping with him. 

“Anything at all?”

“Anything at all, Miss!”