Chapter 121

Something morbid lingered in the back of Atlas’s mind, her gaze trained downward upon her wand as she thumbed over the almost imperceivable crack in the wood. A scar, she supposed, a reminder as most scars were, of an injury, a trauma, of something healed but never forgotten. The edges of her vision darkened, some shrill whistle rattling her bones as white pooled into the pink in her nail. The wood of her wand bowed, flexible, pliant for now until a new hand touched its surface, it’d bend for her, endure her abuse for it was an extension of herself.

There was a sudden numbness to her hearing.

Borgin kneeled before her, his hands torn apart and bleeding, snot falling over his top lip and eyes teeming with tears in mourning, he held his beloved in his grasp, broken pottery and splintered wood clutched to his chest, poking into his flesh. There was absence in his eyes, an absence of himself as he stared listlessly, sobbing, clawing at his face, pulling out his hair, harsh gurgles of horror ripping from his throat.

A breath.

The train rattled from side to side, Atlas’s leg jolting as Neville dove underneath her seat to retrieve Trevor from its depths. She looked down, watching the boy as he struggled and flicked her wand when she saw the beginnings of his underwear when the back of his shirt rode up from the action – it was pulled down with a swift invisible tug and he smacked his head against the seat as he emerged, slimy toad in tow.

“What – oh, thanks Atlas,” Neville grinned, his cheeks rosy red and Atlas smiled slightly, nodding in response.

“Are we still doing the D.A. meetings this year?” Luna asked as she looked at a few interactable sections of her Quibbler, she didn’t look up, not once as she spoke. Harry seemed to tense as Atlas’s back burned at the mere mention, her mouth pulling into an involuntary grimace of pain.

“No, there’s no point now that Umbridge is gone,” Harry stated definitively and Atlas shuddered at the mere mention of the pink-clad witch, a hint of bile tickling at the walls of her throat, she swallowed it down and bawled her fists together, clawing at the back of her hand.

“I liked the D.A. I learned loads with you two,” Neville said, clearly disappointed but he sensed not to push, his eyes flitting over to Atlas who had taken to enjoying the sights that passed by, it was only her second time riding the train after all.

“I enjoyed the meetings too,” Luna said serenely. “It was like having friends.”

“We are your friends, Luna,” Harry spoke, a smile to his words as he looked at the girl.

“Oh,” Luna uttered, clear surprise in her voice. “That’s nice…”

A sudden commotion interrupted their silence together and Atlas turned with a furrowed, unimpressed, brow, watching as a group of girls pushed themselves against the glass, giggling and whispering quietly amongst themselves – they seemed to be egging each other on, urging one another to make themselves known.

“I’ll do it,” one declared and stepped forward, striding confidently into the compartment, her eyes settled on Atlas, she was their age, Atlas supposed, with dark eyes and dark curly hair, “hey Atlas.”

“…do I know you?” Atlas replied somewhat coldly. The girl seemed to flinch, a pink hue flooding her cheeks.

“Romilda…Romilda Vane, you — we spoke in the library once,” Romilda spoke, her confidence decimated. Atlas vaguely recalled buttering up a girl named Romilda just so she’d stop disturbing Hermione who had been trying to study, however, she shook her head.

“I don’t know you.”

“What did you want?” Harry asked, extending an olive branch of sorts, trying to save this girl from the icy peak Atlas had become.

“I just…erm — never mind,” Romilda said, stepping back and sliding the door shut behind her. Harry turned and settled his eyes on Atlas, a small frown on his face.

“What?” Atlas said and turned her gaze back outside. 

There was silence between the four for a time before the topic of the Ministry returned and Atlas sighed, stood and left the compartment, excusing herself for air as she ventured down the length of the train. Crowds parted as she ventured to the end, all whispering, trying to catch her eye and shouting out greetings – she ignored them all and persisted until she reached the final compartment and opened the door to sit out on the small platform caged with railing.

She let her head fall, hair whipping wildly in the wind, she tied it back and sat in silence, the cold biting her cheeks while the sun rays chased them away, an odd cycle, repetitive, it eased her. The solitude was nice for a time until the dregs of loneliness seeped into her bones and part of her wished to return to the compartment.

That had been the way the past few days, after the incident in Borgin and Burkes, Atlas had wanted nothing more than to disappear whilst simultaneously craving comfort in the form of her friends. It was maddening. She needed assurances that she was not insane, that she was not evil or deranged for wanting to hurt Borgin but she also despised the honeyed words whispered to her, the comforts her mind convinced her were lies. 

The door behind her clicked and she turned to see the most surprising sight.

“Daphne,” Atlas nodded in greeting, and the blonde smiled, almost unsure as she joined Atlas against the railings. “Won’t the Slytherins question why you’re here?”

“Only Pansy saw me leave when I walked past the Prefects’ carriage,” Daphne said and rolled her eyes with a fond smile, “but I know she secretly like…weirdly likes you – she’s persistent when she denies this but it sounds more like she’s trying to convince herself.”

“Strange girl,” Atlas hummed and Daphne nodded. “Where’s Astoria? Is she with you?”

“No…mum and dad have pulled her out of Hogwarts,” Daphne said and Atlas’s eyes grew a little wider, turning to Daphne who held out a pouch of crystal peach clusters, “she told me to buy you these.”

Atlas took them slowly and eyed them before smiling and popping one in her mouth, “Why isn’t she back…did — did she worsen?” She asked, something fearful in her voice, “Is she ok? I was sure the potion would –“

“She’s ok,” Daphne interjected before Atlas could spiral, even going so far as to dig her hand into the pouch and snatch one of the peaches. Atlas was so caught off guard by the nonchalant response she almost choked on the crystal. “Our parents just don’t want her attending this year.”

“But…”

“What? Did you want to see her?” Daphne asked, sending Atlas a sideways glance.

“Yeah,” Atlas admitted and pocketed the pouch with a frown. “…why isn’t she attending?”

“They’re worried.”

“Worried?”

“About you-know-who’s rise,” she said and Atlas could hardly contain her surprise, Daphne noticed of course and scoffed, “They follow him Atlas but out of fear, not respect…my family are — elitists, of course, but…they are not like him. They wouldn’t allow Astoria to attend because they feared for her safety, the potions work but she’s still frail.”

“What about you?” Atlas asked and Daphne sighed, closing her eyes as the wind pulled at her hair.

“It seems they only have enough care in them to look after one daughter,” Daphne said but nodded her head as if she’d accepted it, “which I don’t mind, I’d rather they look after Astoria, she’s…better but she’s not cured you know?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Daphne said and shrugged, “like I said, I’d rather it be like that…anyway, how are you?”

“Good,” Atlas lied and Daphne noticed but didn’t pry, they weren’t exactly close enough for that.

“Made a move on Granger yet?”

“Oh shut up Daphne,” Atlas said running a hand through her hair as Daphne laughed and then nudged Atlas with her elbow.

“You know I started to get the appeal, I saw her in the Prefects’ carriage, she looks really hot with her hair up,” Daphne muttered and Atlas shot her a glare, it didn’t phase Daphne and the girl pursed her lips, “if you don’t make a move, I might.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I? You’re forgetting I know all of the abandoned classrooms in Hogwarts, I reckon we could have a secret fling,” Daphne reasoned and flipped, leaning her back against the railing whilst Atlas continued to rest her crossed arms atop it. “Cherry and peaches…they sound like taste good together…”

“Daphne I will kill you,” Atlas stated seriously and Daphne laughed, smooth and buttery.

“Merlin you really are crazy about her,” Atlas made to speak again but Daphne waved her off, “I’m joking, not about her being hot because, Merlin, Atlas she looked so good pouring over the paperwork they were doing.”

“Daphne…”

“What? Can’t I admire her?” Daphne laughed and then shook her head, “Don’t worry your handsome little head, my eyes are elsewhere.”

“Oh?” Atlas said, her eyes widening a little as she eased her grip on the railing, colour flushing into her knuckles. “That’s…cool.”

“Speaking of your little girlfriend,” Daphne flicked her thumb over her shoulder and Atlas turned just in time to see Hermione pushing through the door.

Her hair was up, revealing her face, rosy red and littered with freckles, her eyes flicked from Daphne to Atlas before narrowing in suspicion, a look of displeasure curing her lip as she let the door shut behind her. The platform was somewhat small so three quickly became a crowd – Daphne had moved closer to the metal of the train whilst Hermione had taken up the empty spot beside Atlas, her arm brushing against hers.

“What are you doing out here, it’s off limits,” Hermione stated sourly and Daphne grinned.

“Looking good Granger.” She said and much to Atlas’s displeasure Hermione flushed, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Sorry little miss prefect, I forgot the rules, you won’t punish me will you?”

“I…I suppose not,” Hermione huffed.

“Hmmm…remember what I said Atlas,” Daphne winked and reached for the door handle, “make your move.”

“Daphne…” Atlas said warningly as Daphne laughed and left them to two. The platform became a little less crowded. “Sorry about her.”

“You two are friends now?”

“Somewhat,” Atlas hummed, looking at her, “what’s up?”

“Slughorn sent you an invitation to join him for lunch,” Hermione said and Atlas sighed, rolling her eyes, “that was half an hour ago, it would be odd to show up now.”

“What a tragedy,” Atlas sighed. “Although I doubt it’d be odd, he’d probably be thrilled, he’d ask tons of questions too,” she murmured and Hermione glanced at her sideways, her hair catching in the wind.

“Is that why you came out here?” Hermione asked eventually and Atlas shot her a confused look. “Because people started talking about Sirius? And what happened?” That confusion quickly morphed into poorly concealed frustration. “I’m not going to carry on I just…”

“Yes, that’s why,” Atlas confirmed before moving on, “the sun is setting.”

“I love watching sunsets,” Hermione smiled, leaning against the railing whilst Atlas pressed her back to it, facing the train rather than the world. “I watch them from our room sometimes – I can’t wait until next year when our dorm is in the top tower.”

“Better view.” Atlas acknowledged.

“Closer to the unobtainable,” Hermione grinned and Atlas glanced at her with a huff.

“You’re sounding oddly whimsical for someone so uptight,” she couldn’t help but tease, her smile slight as she looked at the girl beside her, Hermione gave a short mock ‘hardy-har’ before focusing on the horizon. “We do have brooms for a reason, you know? And you rode a Thestral, we were so much higher than the top tower.”

“Yeah but I was focussing on trying not to fall off,” Hermione retorted before shushing her, “anyway, it’s setting, just watch.”

Atlas’s breath caught, something stuttering within her as she glimpsed it in the corner of her eye, she quickly turned away, swallowing, “I’m — I’m good,” Atlas waved her off, staring ahead at the cool metal of the train.

She fell silent, waiting for the weak shadow to pass over the land, her peripheral losing its red glow gifted by the fading sun. She let out a breath when it set and turned to look at Hermione, only to find the girl already staring at her. They watched each other for a moment, Atlas’s eyes widening before she let out a huff of air and rolled her eyes, focusing ahead.

“Did you even watch the sunset?”

Hermione only sighed in response as she shook her head and glanced at her shoes, “It’s getting cold, can we go in?” she asked and didn’t wait for an affirmation before entering the carriage again. Atlas waited a moment, watching Hermione leave before hurrying after her. 

Instantly the warmth of the train chased away the cold that lingered on her skin, the door clanking shut with a harsh metallic thud as she pushed through the crowded carts without a word, and, like before, most people moved without a word of complaint, watching or whispering as she went by. Eventually, she drew near enough to Hermione that she could reach out and grab her hand, forcing Hermione to slow and the distance between them to shrink.

They made it back to their carriage, pushing through the gaggle of peers who had taken to peering in through the windows, hanging around to catch a glimpse of the chosen one – Harry Potter, the boy who was nowhere to be seen and most definitely still at dinner with Slughorn. Instead, Luna and Ron sat inside, awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact with Harry’s admirers, or, well, Ron was the one doing all the awkwardness, whilst Luna seemed occupied with her Quibbler.

Hermione dragged Atlas inside and closed the cabin door, pulling down the privacy screens with a flick of her wand before sitting down with a sigh – quietly, Atlas sat beside her, fiddling with her wand as she focussed on the confident hum and thrum within the wood.

“Perhaps those people outside would leave if a prefect told them to…” Luna said – it appeared their rowdiness had finally gotten to her reading.

“Probably not, they’re here to get a glimpse of Atlas and Harry,” Hermione replied, shaking her head as she reached up and poked her fingers through the bars of Crookshanks’s carrier, Atlas watched.

“Harry’s the chosen one,” Atlas reminded and Hermione glanced down at her, sitting back in her seat, there was something unspoken shared between them, Hermione’s disapproving and incredulous stare matching Atlas’s steely and cold eye. A moment later, Atlas blinked, admitting defeat and sighed. “I admit Romilda tried to act buddy-buddy.”

“Romilda?” Hermione said, her face impassive though Atlas noticed how her lip twitched downwards.

“Couldn’t you scare them away with your freaky magic?” Ron suddenly asked and Atlas tensed, glancing at Ron who seemed to realise himself and muttered a wordless apology. She looked back at Hermione and caught how the girl adjusted her jumper to hide the faint purple scarring and felt a pit form in her gut again.

Silence settled over the cabin. Crookshanks meowed overhead.

“The trolley is here,” Luna said, her Quibbler rustling as she tucked it away and pulled open the compartment door, everyone was startled at the sudden sound, looking up to find that yes, indeed, Madam Mason was at the doorway with a trolley full of sweets and sandwiches, her fist was raised to the door as if to knock, only for it to fall back to her cart, an aged smile on her face as she beamed at the lot.

“Anything from the trolley dears?”

Lunch was an easy affair, everyone ate and settled into easy chatter, talking about how Draco had missed Prefect duty and that Pansy didn’t end the meeting by calling Ron poor or Hermione a Mudblood, in fact, she’d done all of her duties perfectly and made almost no smart quips, well, Ernie Macmillan had been called a ‘half-wit twit’ for spilling ink over their work but it was notable.

“Maybe she’s turned over a new leaf,” Atlas said it as more of a statement, as she flipped through the cards she had gotten from the chocolate frogs. Nothing new or rare.

“Fat chance.” Ron scoffed whilst picking a piece of liquorice out of his teeth.

“As long as she isn’t a nuisance I can be civil,” Hermione said and Ron baulked.

“Could I have your Circe card?” Atlas handed Luna the chocolate frog card with a nod and turned to the window to watch the hills roll by.

Soon, after everyone, sans Atlas, had changed into their uniforms, Neville and Ginny joined them, the two of them regaling stories they had heard at the dinner with Slughorn in detail, it served to pass the rest of the train ride although it was dreadfully boring and by the time the two of them had disappeared to get dressed as well, Hermione was fast asleep on Atlas’s shoulder and Ron was tipping dangerously close to the edge of his seat. Luna, bless her heart, was holding Ron up with her elbow, sitting in such an awkward position it couldn’t possibly be comfortable.

Thankfully, when Ginny and Neville returned they had no more stories to tell and instead remained in companionable silence. Ginny was putting her Pygmy Puff, Arnold, away in a carrier so he was easier to keep safe on the way up to the castle when Hermione awoke, blinking blearily as she looked out of the train and realised they would soon be pulling into the station. 

“Harry still not back?” She asked, looking around the carriage.

“He’ll probably be on the platform,” Ron shrugged as he yawned and sheepishly smiled at Luna whose arm still hung awkwardly in the air.

“Where did you say he was going?” Atlas asked, looking between Ginny and Neville with a frown.

“He took his stuff and said he was going to get changed,” Ginny said and shrugged, “I saw Cho Chang following him so maybe they’re talking stuff out?”

“Did they ever officially break up?” Ron asked.

“Were they ever officially together?” Ginny said with a grin and Ron laughed, nodding at her fair point, “Honestly, the lines are so blurred these days. Sometimes I see two people and think, ‘Wow, you guys are literally dating, kiss maybe?'”

Hermione seemed to jerk oddly just as Ginny yelped, cradling her foot and hopping around in place. “We’ll meet him on the platform,” Hermione smiled as the train came to a stuttering stop and everyone pulled down their luggage.

Atlas grabbed Hermiones for her, carrying it out and onto the platform as she lacked her own, she’d been wearing Charlie’s old clothes for the last few weeks of summer as she only had two outfits consisting of her own wardrobe. Honestly, Atlas was eternally grateful for Poppy who had had the foresight to send her at least some clothes whereas Dumbledore was clearly not so organised. Ironic considering who he was. The man had a plan, for a plan, for a plan and had forgotten basic clothing for Atlas’s arrival to the Burrow. 

Or rather, ‘forgotten’.

Even her uniform was high up in her dorm room, so she was still wearing one of Charlie’s old jumpers and too baggy pair of jeans, Charlie was a muscular lad who wrangled dragons for a living so it stood to reason his quads were humongous compared to Atlas’s who’s physique was leaner and battle-orientated. 

She was in the middle of hauling Ginny’s bags up into the carriage when a thunderous rumbling wracked the earth, a few students were startled, turning to the noise as Atlas drew her wand on instinct only to let out a huff of air when Hagrid revealed himself, bent over at the knees and gasping for air, whilst Fang circled his legs. Clearly, he had hurried due to lateness, he was always the one to guide the First Years across the lake, his eyes landed on Atlas and he seemed to light up, a large grin on his face as he launched forward and cupped her shoulders in large hands.

“Atlas, jus’ the las I wanted ter see!” He boomed and Atlas shook with his enthusiasm, looking up at him with spiralling eyes as she tried to peer at him through the darkness, the lights from the train had cast a shadow over his face but she could still see the bruising across his nose. “I need yer help.”

“It’s the first day back at school hagrid,” Atlas couldn’t help the exasperation in her voice as she looked at him. “What is it?”

“Grawp –“

“No, I’m not missing the entrance ceremony again just for your brother, I mean, Merlin, Hagrid, you’re still his punching bag, surely –” Atlas was cut off mid-rant by Hagrid’s amused laughter, the giant man shaking his head as he pat her in a way that was meant to be gentle but ended up knocking the wind out of her.

“Not tha’ Atlas, I need yeh to take care of the First years for us,” Hagrid said and that was quite possibly the worst idea Atlas had ever heard, she couldn’t deal with kids, children weren’t exactly easy to take care of, a bunch of bright-eyed youths with too much excitement in such small bodies. Astoria had been an exception, there was some connection there already thanks to Daphne’s old habits but even then, their first interaction had been nothing short of a disaster, she’d panicked, ran around Hogwarts like Headless – well, Nearly-Headless – Nick with the girl in her arms and ended with a broken nose. 

And that was one kid. Now Hagrid’s asking her to be in charge of thirty-five?

“Oh Hagrid, I don’t know,” Atlas said, waving her hands about as if to ward off his suggestion, “I’m not the best with that sort of thing and — and they probably won’t listen to me, too excited no doubt.”

“Thas not true! You’re very respectable,” Hagrid assured, patting her again and Atlas wheezed, “Please, Atlas, Grawp got out of his – erm – ropes, he’s runnin’ rampant an the Centaurs are already considerin’ takin’ him down!”

“Shouldn’t the Head girl or boy do it then?” Atlas questioned.

“I…I don’t know ’em,” Hagrid frowned, wringing his hands together nervously as he looked around. Atlas sighed, glancing over her shoulder at Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna and Hermione who watched her in amusement, apparently entertained by the situation. “Will yeh take over for me?”

“…All right,” Atlas agreed, turning back to the man and wincing when he wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug and ran back towards the trees shouting about how thankful he was as Fang bound after him, tongue lolling to the side.

“Babysitting duty goes to Atlas,” Ginny teased, holding her wand to her face as if announcing some grand prize, “congratulations, Atlas. What will you do going forward?”

“Jump into the lake probably, look at her face,” Ron grinned, pointing and Atlas flipped him a rude gesture.

“I can help you if you’d like,” Hermione offered, already climbing out of the carriage but Atlas stopped her, shaking her head with a smile.

“It’s all right, I’ll just…intimidate them or something,” Atlas shrugged, running a hand through her hair before peering up at them with a small tug of a smile at the corner of her mouth, “I’ll see you guys at dinner, save me a spot beside you Mione and Ginny, don’t point your wand at your mouth you’ll blow your head off.”

“Aye aye, Moody!” Ginny saluted and Atlas scowled at her, rolling her eyes as the redhead laughed. Atlas watched her a moment before leisurely reaching over and motioning for the Thestrals to get moving, the carriage lurched forward and Ginny slipped onto the floor, disappearing.

It earned giggles from the others.

Hermione waved with a smile and Atlas waved back, listening as the laughter of the carriage faded in the distance – she turned looking around at the few lingering older students waiting for the next carriage and then at the young, excited-looking first years with colourless ties, their luggage comically large in comparison to small bodies. It’s not as if she remembered a lot of her childhood all that clearly, certainly not the smaller more insignificant things that happened around the trauma but she was almost certain the first years of her time had never been so small, surely she had not been so tiny, the idea was laughable.

With a fortifying breath, she stepped forward with her hands on her hips and called for the First years to round up, a few did, looking up at her with wide sparkling eyes but a few stragglers either seemed to ignore her or completely miss her words. They continued to look around, completely taken by the Scottish woodlands surrounding the station, their mouths agape and Atlas wished she could understand their sentiment, the world seemed so dull these days, she wondered if the trees were vibrant in their eyes compared to the shadowed and jaded world Atlas saw.

Idly, she remembered how Hagrid had called her respectable and wondered if it were true, a good three-quarters of the new students were ignoring her presence which was truly humbling, she huffed under her breath and shifted, startling the ones that had stood in front of her, even a few of the older students flinched away, casting her form a glance before hurrying onto carriages. The Direwolf stood at its full height, almost blending into the darkness save for the golden eyes that shone in the moonlight, a low grumbling ripped from her maw and instantly the ignorant and lost children snapped to attention, looking up at her with wide frightened eyes.

With a withering huff from the wolf, Atlas shrank back, wiping her hands free of dust as the students gathered around her. “Awesome,” she nodded, straightening out her jumper, “first years, I’ll be taking you to the castle so please follow the light and do not stray from the path, otherwise, you will be eaten, mauled or worse.”

“What could be worse than getting killed?” A first-year girl squeaked and Atlas hummed, crouching down to her height and ruffling her bushy hair.

“Expulsion.” Truly, it was a laughable comparison, but the way Atlas said it had the girl’s face dropping. “Lumos,” Atlas whispered under her breath and held her wand above her head, “follow me.”

They didn’t need to be told twice, they followed her closely, that same first-year girl holding onto the back of her jumper, she tried to be discrete with it but Atlas could feel the subtle tug as she led them down the beaten path to the boats along the docks. It was a shady trail and often Atlas wondered why the first years weren’t just taken by carriage like the rest, she thought it was all rather pointless as she walked, her expression lacking in anything that would give away emotion while her wand remained high in the air, she was not as tall as Hagrid so Lumos would have to do.

A few logs had fallen across the trail ahead so Atlas whisked them away wordlessly, turning slightly when she felt a poke to her arm and turned, looking down at the girl, she noticed how a good half of the class stared at her also and it was evident in their eyes they were Muggle-born, the wonderment at seeing magic for one of the first times palpable. Atlas’s eyes widened, a flicker of surprise passing over her face at their innocence, even the half-bloods and purebloods seemed impressed, looking at her eagerly.

“What was that?” A boy asked, inquisitive as he pointed at the log.

“Wingardium Leviosa, you’ll learn it this year,” Atlas told as she looked at them.

“You didn’t say anything,” Another girl asked, her arms crossed, she seemed less impressed by the magic and more intrigued by the wordless incantation, she was possibly a half or pureblood.

“Wordless incantations, I’m sure you’ll learn them later on,” she assured and made to move ahead but more questions arose from the budding witches and wizards, watching her closely. “What is it?”

“What else will we learn?” A boy asked, he reminded Atlas of Neville somehow, his round face and meek demeanour aside, it was the way he remained, nervous, almost fearful, his eyes darting away quickly but still eager for an answer, to learn.

If she looked hard enough she could find all of her friends in these young witches and wizards so she refrained and turned away, continuing the walk with her wand up in the air, Lumos shining bright above her.

“You’ll learn many things,” she said as she walked, “incantations, hexes, charms, all manner of spells, how to wield them and when – you’ll be shown beasts both meaty and plant-based, which reminds me, you’ll be introduced to Mandrakes this year so I hope you have earmuffs.”

“They were put on our list of school supplies,” a girl said and Atlas huffed, nodding. 

“You’ll be taught our history too, by Professor Binns, he’s a bore…you might fall asleep however his lessons are important,” Atlas continued as she held up a branch for the kids to walk beneath before resuming her spot at the front, “they teach us lessons, tell us not to let history repeat itself.”

A lesson that was often overlooked.

They got to the boats and Atlas walked along the dock, unfastening the first boat from where it was attached. She beckoned the first lot of students over but none came and she soon realised they had not followed her to the docks and instead had remained on the shore, with a huff she stood, one leg on the dock while the other stood in the boat, an odd balancing act. “I told you to stick close.”

Her words went unheard and she idly wondered if they had already forgotten her alternate form, she climbed out of the boat, fastened it back to the dock and walked over to them, following their wide-eyed looks to the castle. She frowned, oblivious to their astonishment.

“What is it?” She asked, looking down at the girl who had held her jumper the entire way but was now grasping the hem of her own school jumper, a pink flush to her cheeks as she awed at the sight of the castle.

“It’s so cool,” one of the boys remarked whilst a girl sighed excitedly.

“It’s pretty,” she said and Atlas was startled, her confused expression softening as she looked up at the castle, her head slowly tilting to the side as she crouched and tried to view it from the perspective of the children. Last year she had stood on the opposite side of the lake, viewing the back of Hogwarts with far less enthusiasm as she had watched the first years reach the docks at Dumbledore’s side. She remembered how she had cursed the day the young ones lost their innocence and realised most had probably met that day that very same year as Umbridge dished their punishments. 

“I suppose so…”

Atlas tore her eyes away from the glistening castle, its magnificence reflected upon the lake and instead looked at the children, an idea striking her; She crouched and tapped the edge of the water with her wand, swishing it around and smiling slightly when the Giant Squid that lurked in the depths threw up its tentacles and waved towards them. The first years giggled and gasped, waving back, star-struck. Their wonder and awe grew, all of them practically shaking with joy and Atlas made a decision then, glancing at her pocket watch briefly before, letting out a breath. 

“Would you like to see a Unicorn?”

The Unicorn had been a hit, Atlas had never seen so many hands in the air – some of the boys had been put out when they couldn’t touch the beauty of the Unicorn but Atlas persuaded the mare with promises of juicy apples and she’d reluctantly let the boys feather their hands through her mane. Even the more burly-looking boys could not resist the Unicorn’s beauty.

When the time rang half six and Atlas became aware she was cutting it incredibly close she guided the first years back to the boats and they went with little complaint, giddy with excitement as they clumped together in groups and picked their boats, three per one which left two of the students in a boat with Atlas. The bushy-haired girl who had claimed the back of her jumper jumped at the opportunity and the boy who reminded her of Neville also clambered into the boat.

The boats left the docks, Atlas dipping her wand into the lake occasionally so that the Giant Squid would wave or splash the boats with a little water, not enough to completely soak them, just a mist as he splashed at such a distance only the vapours would hit them. She pulled her hand out of the water when it became too cold and wiped her hand dry, turning to look at the two students in front of her who stared at her rather than the Giant Squid who was bathing in the attention given, he knew he’d be getting a juicy cow later for his troubles.

“How do you do that?” The girl asked, pointing at her wand.

“He recognises my magic, it has a unique residue that he can sense and knows what I want,” Atlas said as she bunched up her too-large jeans and wondered how she was to get changed whilst simultaneously leading the First years to the Great Hall. “He also knows I’m friends with the butcher at Hogsmeade.”

“That’s cool,” Neville’s long-lost twin, spoke, his voice shaking as he looked up at the domineering castle. “You…you can turn into a dog.”

“An Animagus and no…not a dog – Dire-wolf,” Atlas couldn’t help but correct but nodded regardless, “Yes, I performed the ritual when I was your age.”

“I saw the wolf in the paper,” the girl said, her hands bawled tight in her lap. “When a witch came and took me to get my supplies from that magic place.”

“That’s me, Atlas,” Atlas confirmed.

“Are you a teacher?”

“Do I look like a teacher?” Atlas asked with a small smile and they both nodded, causing her to huff in amusement, “no, I’m not a teacher,” somehow, that seemed to cause them to deflate, “I’m a sixth-year but I’ve been here since I was young so I’m treated as both faculty and student.”

“Are you head girl?”

“No, the head girl is much nicer, her name is Heidi Macavoy, if you’re arranged into Hufflepuff you’ll meet her,” Atlas said. 

“I think you’re nice,” the boy said with determination and the girl nodded.

“You showed us a Unicorn.”

“Then you’ll love Hagrid, he keeps all sorts of magical beasts,” Atlas said, tapping her foot in the little puddle of water that had pooled in their boat, “usually he’s the one to bring first-years across but he’s busy, you’ll see him in Care of Magical Creatures. Don’t be rude when you see him, ok?”

“We won’t,” the girl promised and Atlas smiled, reaching out to ruffle her hair as she had done before.

They continued to the boat house and a symphony of groans came from the first-years as they saw the stairs they had to climb, even Atlas sighed, sympathising with the children and their little legs as she led the way up to the courtyard and pushed open the double doors. They were greeted with a few more flights of stairs but eventually, they made it and they all seemed too excited to really lament over their fatigue.

“Ok, so,” Atlas began as she turned to them in front of the second set of double doors, her stomach rumbled with need, it’d been too long since she had taken part in the entrance feast. “You’ll be sorted into your houses before dinner and will be welcomed by your new housemates, the prefects will then guide you up to your dorms when the announcements conclude.”

“Are you a prefect?” One girl called from the back and Atlas shook her head.

“No, no, the girl who’s prefect for Gryffindor is far prettier and nicer than me,” Atlas smiled and they all donned quizzical looks at the reverence and sigh in Atlas’s voice, a few of them whispering to their peers as if they knew exactly what Atlas was. “Anyway,” Atlas coughed and pushed open the hall doors, stepping aside as the first years each took steadying breaths and wandered inside. One of them hugged around Atlas’s middle before hurrying off ahead and Atlas smiled slightly before skulking over to her bench and taking her spot beside Hermione.

“You made friends,” Hermione whispered with a grin and Atlas nudged their legs together.

“Shut up.”

The sorting ceremony began and concluded, the boy who seemed like Neville sorting into Hufflepuff whilst the girl became a Gryffindor which earned a cheer from Atlas and a wave when the girl settled down near the second-years. A lot of the others sorted into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, some settling in Slytherin whilst Gryffindor only got seven new students this year, which wasn’t exactly terrible considering the number of new students was lower this year, most wizarding families, whilst being proud alumni of Hogwarts, had sent their children abroad to places like Ilvermorny or simply homeschooled them.

It was after the Sorting Hats speech and halfway through the dinner that Atlas finally dulled the salivating creature within her stomach, satiating it with juicy hunks of meat before she finally looked around, noticing the lack of Harry at the table.

“Where’s Harry?” Atlas asked.

“We don’t exactly know, we thought –” But just then the double doors opened and Harry came marching inside, his face bloody and eyes thunderous as Snape soon followed after, Atlas looked at her God brother briefly before her eyes followed Snape to the top table. Harry forced himself between Ginny and Ron, ducking his head.

“Where’ve you — blimey, what’ve you done to your face?” Ron asked, goggling at him.

“Why, what’s wrong with it?” Harry said and seemed to reach for a spoon but Atlas tossed him a pocket mirror. “Jesus…”

“Come here,” Hermione sighed and reached over the table, waving her wand at the blood, “Tergeo.”

“Thanks,” Harry sighed gratefully, checking his reflection carefully.

Atlas raised a brow and narrowed her eyes at Hermione, “You’ve had a spell like that all this time and you still chose to wipe the blood off of me with a towel?”

At that, Hermione flushed crimson and stuttered slightly through an explanation, “I — I only just learnt it.”

“What happened to you?” Ginny asked, leaning over to join in the conversation.

Harry glanced at her and said nothing but shot Ron, Hermione and Atlas a look that promised them he’d tell them later. Atlas didn’t exactly feel great about leaving Ginny out of the loop and the girl seemed to puff up also, huffing as she rolled her eyes and turned away from the boy, focussing on her conversation with Neville and Katie instead. Her guilty sort of feeling fell away when pudding was revealed and she reached for a chunk of chocolate brownie, nodding when a jug of hot caramel hovered over her plate and began to pour, a scoop of ice cream dumped on top and she dug in.

“Atlas made new friends,” Hermione said as she spooned some ice cream into her mouth.

“Who?” Harry asked, his brows furrowed and Ron grinned whilst Atlas shot Hermione a withering look. She received a sly grin in return that she couldn’t exactly stay annoyed at for too long.

“Some new first years, she was in charge of bringing them across the lake,” Ron said and pointed his spoon down at the seven new Gryffindors who seemed wholly overwhelmed by the massive mound of ice cream in front of them. “That bushy-haired one likes her.” 

“Bushy hair, likes Atlas, Gryffin –” Ginny listed idly and was cut off when a spoonful of dark chocolate gateau was shoved into her mouth, she spluttered and shot Hermione a glare but the girl was focused on her ice cream, wholly consumed. “Hermione, I hate gateau!”

“That wasn’t me,” Hermione said innocently, not looking up from her dessert. “Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw got ten new first years whilst Slytherin got eight.”

“Hat say anything interesting?” Harry asked after glancing at Hermione knowingly before reaching for a treacle tart.

“More of the same, really…advising us all to unite in the face of enemies, you know,” Hermione told dismissively as she picked at an eclair.

“Dumbledore mentioned Voldemort at all?”

“Not yet, but he always saves his proper speech for after the feast, doesn’t he?” Hermione said and shrugged, glancing over at the clock. “It can’t be long now.”

“Snape said Hagrid was late for the feast –“

“You’ve seen Snape? How come?” Ron said as he, unlike his sister, delved into a heap of chocolate gateau.

“They walked in together,” Atlas said, shooting the boy an incredulous look and Ron hummed not entirely present as he violated the dessert.

“Hagrid was only a few minutes late,” said Hermione. “He was dealing with Grawp, that’s why Atlas had to take the first years across the lake.”

“He got loose,” Atlas said with a sigh.

The rest of the conversations blurred to Atlas, she was remarkably tired, she routinely didn’t get enough sleep but last night had been the worst, she’d gotten three maybe four hours of sleep, even beside Hermione she had found her night uneasy and her stomach toiling. Harry was talking about the Slughorn dinner from his perspective, with more emphasis on Slughorn’s obsession with the night of the ministry rather than the focus on Barnaby embarrassing himself when Ginny and Neville had told them what had happened.

And when Dumbledore took the stage she stared bitterly across the other end of the hall, focusing on the banners of the four houses rather than the whispers concerning the headmaster’s blackened hand and said man’s speech on remaining vigilant and cautious this year due to Voldemort’s revival. She, in some petty act of defiance, didn’t exactly want to give the man her attention, her expression far off instead as she fiddled with her wand and fought off sleep.

She was startled, however, when the entire room was wracked with gasps.

“What?” Atlas asked, her brows furrowed as she stared at the ashen faces of Harry and the shocked ones of Hermione and Ron. For an instant, from the reactions of everyone around her, Atlas assumed the worst, their defences were broken, Voldemort was coming, Merlin, Umbridge back.

“Snape’s going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Hermione whispered and Atlas felt herself relax somewhat but still a frown remained. “Professor Slughorn is teaching Potions.”

“Well, there’s one good thing,” Harry said savagely. “Snape’ll be gone by the end of the year.”

“What do you mean?” Ron asked.

“That job’s jinxed. No one’s lasted more than a year…Quirrell actually died doing it…Personally, I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for another death… ” Harry said darkly and Atlas raised a brow, huffing a nervous laugh.

“Harry!” Hermione said, shocked and reproachful.

“He might just go back to teaching Potions at the end of the year,” Ron said reasonably. “That Slughorn bloke might not want to stay long-term. Moody didn’t.”

“Moody was also not Moody,” Atlas pointed out. 

“Nobody would come back after getting kidnapped like he did,” Hermione said, an awful shudder wracking her body.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, a loud thing that cut through the chatter of the students. Atlas knew this would all be the hottest gossip for the next few weeks, maybe even for a month as the student body got used to seeing Snape at the helm of Defence Against the Dark Arts, a position he had been vying for ever since Atlas was young, she remembered when he first applied, she was five, around the time her magic came in when Minerva had brought her to the castle and she’d been ushered into Dumbledore’s office where a younger Snape had stood, his fingers locked together.

He was just as greasy back then.

“Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength,” Dumbledore said, his eyes sweeping across the students,

The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke. 

“I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle’s magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, and we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them — in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others’ safety.”

And then he smiled serenely and Atlas knew it was time to turn in for the night.

“But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night,” He bid everyone adue.

The deafening shriek of the benches filled the hall all at once and Hermione hurried off to complete her prefect duties of shepherding the huddle of first years, to be taken up to Gryffindor Tower. Atlas watched her go before excusing herself from where Harry and Ron, the body skiving off of his prefect duties, stood and jogged to catch up. She was intercepted by Katie and her girlfriend, Leanne, the two of them grinning. Katie hugged her fiercely and pulled away, holding her shoulders.

“Please tell me you go Quidditch Captain,” she said and Atlas blinked, making some contemplating sound as she tried to think a thought.

“No?” Atlas said unsurely and watched as Katie deflated, “Harry did.”

“Harry?” Katie said with a frown but shrugged, “That’s ok, I guess.”

“He’s a skilled player,” Atlas reminded and Katie nodded.

“Yeah but…” Katie trailed off and seemed to wave her hands around in defence when Atlas looked at her funny, “he is! He is! I just wish you were the one who’d be bossing me around,” she smirked.

“Funny,” Atlas huffed with a smile as Leanne laughed, “what’s the real reason?”

“I don’t know, there isn’t one, Harry’s great I’m just put out,” Katie sighed but punched Atlas’s shoulder, “I’ll see you at tryouts then?”

“Maybe,” Atlas said as they began to walk, Leanne excusing herself after pecking Katie’s cheek.

“You’re not joining?” Katie frowned.

“Maybe, like I said. I’m just not sure,” Atlas shrugged as she waved at Leanne’s retreating figure.

“Oh come on, you need to, with Angelina and Fred and George gone we’re down some of our best players,” Katie groaned, “maybe even me if I fail tryouts.”

“There’s no way Harry won’t pick you.”

“If there’s someone better he better choose them,” Katie said somewhat sternly as they arrived in front of the Lady’s portrait. Katie made to speak the password but with Atlas there, there was no need and they were let inside without a hitch. “Please don’t quit.”

“I’ll think about it,” Atlas sighed and Katie grinned patting her back before jogging off and away up to her seventh-year dorm. Atlas watched her go before shaking her head and walking up the stairs to her dorm room with Hermione.

Without a knock she pushed inside and groaned loudly, earning Hermione’s attention as she stopped unpacking her things. Kalo cooed and Crookshanks mewed at her sudden presence, Little Robin was asleep in his nest on her desk.

“You ok?” Hermione smiled, amused.

“Katie wants me to try out for the team,” Atlas said as she pulled off her jumper and tossed it into the wash basket. “And I mean…I want to but like, I don’t know, maybe I won’t make it on the team and then I’ll just rejected and I mean, Harry isn’t the type to do that but still. Also, there’s so much going on, do I really need to worry about Quidditch too, I just –“

Hermione’s cold fingers pressed against her back, cooling down the heated skin of her brand. Atlas tensed, her breaths hitching, she had almost forgotten about the words in her skin, she’d always changed elsewhere whilst at the Burrow, always self-conscious but in her haze she had forgotten and thrown off her jumper.

“…Maybe something normal and inconsequential like Quidditch will do you good?” Hermione said softly, her digits tracing the letters and Atlas sighed, closing her eyes as her head tilted to the side. 

“Maybe…” Atlas murmured. “I don’t know…I’m still –“

“On the fence,” Hermione hummed as she placed her palms flat against Atlas’s shoulder blades.

“…what are you doing?” Atlas asked after a moment of silence and Hermione pulled her hands away, looking up at Atlas as the girl peered over her shoulder and then fully turned, looking down at Hermione, her eyes searching. 

“That first-year girl was sweet,” Hermione said after taking in a breath and wandering over to her trunk, folding up some clothes and putting them away. Atlas watched her quietly, her skin tingling where Hermione had touched despite most feeling rendering numb over the scarred tissue, she reached out a stroked Kalo’s chest idly, the owl crooning against her finger as she looked at him. “She said something funny…”

“What was it?” Atlas asked, sitting on the lip of her desk and welcoming him when Crookshanks hopped up as well, giving Little Robin his space as he walked up to Atlas and stretched over her legs.

“She told me you told the entire group of first years I was far prettier and nicer than anyone you’d met,” Hermione said and Atlas flushed before scratching behind Crookshanks’s ears and gripping the edge of the desk tight with her other hand.

“I said far prettier and nicer than me,” Atlas corrected and Hermione raised her brow, a smile tugging at her mouth.

“So you don’t think I’m prettier than anyone you’ve met?” 

“I never said that…” Atlas trailed off, looking to the side. 

“Will you say it then? Will you tell me?” Hermione asked and Atlas’s eyes widened, a wry grin on her face as she stared down at Hermione. What was happening? Hermione was flirting? With her? What is going on? Atlas’s heart was in her throat, her head spinning as her mouth went a little dry. She swallowed and Hermione looked away. “Kidding.”

Atlas let out a breath and realised suddenly that she had been clutching Crookshanks to her chest, the furball looking unimpressed as he licked his chaps and hung limply in her arms, she apologised quietly and set him back down.

“Night Atty,” Hermione said through a yawn and climbed into bed. Atlas nodded dumbly moving over to her own bed.

Atlas said nothing in return staring blankly up at the ceiling of their dorm.

What the fuck.