Chapter 26

Divination those few weeks ago and following had been a disaster. They had been studying Crystal Balls for the rest of that term, ready for June and Hermione had stormed out after Professor Trelawney insulted the girl’s reliance on books, the Grim had been foreseen in Harry’s Crystal Ball on many occasions, Ron wouldn’t stop laughing each lesson and romance had been brought up one too many times in Atlas’s Crystal Ball reading, with a sprinkle of mortal injury here or there.

Homework had been pretty lax considering she had done a majority in advance so she had spent most of her day’s training. Sometimes, Ginny and Hermione – when she had been taking a break from the mountainous amounts of work she’d been given because of the number of classes she took – would come to watch her. Ginny would dare her to do all sorts of tricks whilst Hermione persistently talked her down from accepting them, only for Atlas to actually do them on the days Hermione was too busy studying.

So far she’d only broken her nose and a pair of fingers but they’d been quickly healed and recovered from. Harry had joined her to practice when he was taking a break from homework but Ron had been too busy pouring himself over enormously thick volumes with names like ‘The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology’ and ‘Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality’ for Buckbeaks appeal.

She had helped him on occasion – not too much it would be noticeable by someone like Draco – when she wasn’t recovering from the programs Oliver had set her or from the programs she had set herself and they’d made some good progress. Atlas actually held a flicker of hope Buckbeak would be safe.

Aside from that, Atlas had also been occupied with the thought of the Quidditch Cup itself coming up. The whole of Gryffindor House was obsessed with the coming match. Gryffindor hadn’t won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley – Ron’s second oldest brother and Bella’s co-worker – had been Seeker and Atlas was determined to change that.

Highly charged atmosphere had encompassed the entire school and by the holidays were over, the tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. On many occasions, Atlas had found herself in secret fistfights and duels, each time she would avoid going to Madam Pomfrey – even though she knew the woman wouldn’t ask the origins of the scrapes – and had, instead, gone to Hermione who would always patch her up and scold her at the same time.

Honestly, Atlas couldn’t even walk to class without having an attempt on her well-being made. Harry had suggested they started walking together – per Hermione and Wood’s orders – in case the Slytherins tried to put them out of action. She’d readily accepted and had the joy of hexing a few brave – or rather, arrogant – Slytherins alongside her godbrother.

The night before the match was just as charged, if not more than it ever had been. A majority were grinning, wishing the Quidditch team luck, Fred and George were messing around in the corner, getting rid of their excess energy, Oliver was still pouring himself over his mini Quidditch set, Angelina was talking animated with a few of her dormmates and Katie, well, she looked on the brink of bursting. There was a red blush painted across her face as she was teased by a few of her own dormmates.

“What’s going on over here then?” Atlas asked, sitting beside Katie as she plucked up a butterbeer Fred and George had no doubt smuggled in. She bit off the cap and spat it to the table, leaning forward to listen in. Atlas was friends with both Katie and Angelina but Katie – she had found – was more relatable because of their shared interest in women.

“Katie’s got a date if we win the Quidditch Cup,” Alicia Spinnet – Ex-Chaser – said, a wide grin on her face as she clinked her own bottle with Atlas’s.

“Oh, is it Leanne?”

“You knew!?” Katie shouted and Atlas grinned, nodding curtly.

“Course I did, I asked around about the Hufflepuff I always saw in the stands wearing your team jacket when we trained,” Atlas mused.

“Oh yeah? What about all the people coming to watch you?” Katie retorted.

“Name ’em,” Atlas challenged and Katie looked at Alicia, the two of them smirking at each other as the former cleared her throat all dramatic like and turned to Atlas with a serious face.

“Ginny–“

“She wants to join the team,” Atlas interjected.

“Luna–“

“She says It’s interesting to see the wrackspurts try and chase after me.”

“Cho–“

“She wants some pointers on sharp turns, wants to dive like Harry does.”

“Cedric–“

“That’s so rare and he does it because we don’t see each other otherwise.”

“Hermione?” Katie smirked and Atlas rolled her eyes.

“Being supportive of the team.”

“Of the team? She watches your private training,” Katie scoffed.

“So does Ginny,” Atlas retorted.

“Yeah because, as you said, she wants to join the team, she has a reason, Hermione doesn’t,” Alicia said this time and Atlas took a swig of her butterbeer, decidedly looking away from them and over at the fire.

“She’s my friend, isn’t that reason enough?”

“She doesn’t watch Harry’s private training,” Katie shrugged.

“What are you even suggesting?” Atlas gritted finally looking back to them and the two girls grinned at each other, turning to Atlas with equally as shit-eating grins.

“We’re suggesting Hermione, to you, is what Leanne is to me,” Katie smirked and Atlas sighed, pushing Katie’s face away from her as she stood and walked over to the trio. She scowled even further when Katie whistled after her and Alicia burst into laughter.

“What’s that about?” Ron asked as Atlas – purposefully – sat furthest away from Hermione, the girl actually looking at her in mild surprise when she did, “Atlas?”

“They’re being knobs,” Atlas muttered.

“About what?” Harry said this time and Atlas glanced up at Hermione, before sighing again and looking in the opposite direction. Harry and Ron caught it and exchanged a look, communicating something and coming to a mutual agreement. “So, Hermione.”

“Yes?”

“No books today?”

“Well,” she suddenly became quite nervous and Atlas looked over at her in slight concern, “I can’t work and I can’t concentrate, I stared at my Arithmancy assignment for an hour last night.”

“That’s not like you, are you alright? You’re not sick are you?” Atlas asked and Hermione quickly shook her head.

“No…it’s about the match,” Hermione admitted and Atlas flushed again, feeling the eyes of Katie, Alicia and a newly-recruited Angelina boring into the back of her head like a nagging conscience. “But you’re going to be fine, I’m sure of it!”

“You don’t sound sure,” Atlas huffed under her breath and then bit her tongue.

“Yes well–!” Hermione puffed up indignantly, “–well, maybe I’m not, with Malfoy on the opposing teams, think of all the nasty and dangerous things he could have come up with!”

“I suppose you don’t want to know what Atlas has been up to with Loony Lovegood and Cho Chang then?” Ron grinned and Atlas punched him solidly in the arm.

“Don’t call her that!”

“Fine alright!” Ron grimaced, rubbing his shoulder as Atlas glared at him.

“What have you been doing?” Hermione asked, suddenly looking quite fearful, Atlas glared at Ron a final time and turned to Hermione, looking slightly sheepish.

“Nothing bad, Hermione, she’s not thinking of destroying their team, more like herself,” Ron continued as Atlas shook her head for him to stop, “you should see the stunts she’s going to pull! All from that book Oliver–!”

“You said you wouldn’t!” Hermione yelled and Atlas sighed, sinking into her chair. “Those aren’t meant for matches! You told me so yourself!”

“I’m not doing anything major!”

“You’re not doing any of them at all!” Hermione glared and Atlas flinched, ducking her head like a scolded puppy. “Now! Really! I’m going to bed!”

She gathered her stuff and left the room in a huff, Atlas groaning as Ron had the gall to look bewildered and Harry lightened up a little, a small smile on his face despite his expressed nerves for the match the next day. “Ronald Weasley, you better get your tongue tied otherwise the next time you say something that’ll make Hermione yell at me, I’m getting Frog to eat you like Crookshanks did Scabbers, you little rat.”

Oliver stood up from his Mini-Quidditch set, “Team! Bed!”

Atlas got up and turned to Ron, one last time, “Count your days.”

Ron turned to Harry as the girl disappeared up the stairs to her dorm. “I-is she serious?”

“Probably.”

***

The Great Hall erupted into monumental applause when the Gryffindor team walked in the next morning. While everyone on the team was grinning broadly Atlas was placid, her eyes blinking slowly and out of time, she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. At around one in the morning, Crookshanks had woken her up from a nightmare – which, at the time, she had been thankful for – only for him to keep her up the entire rest of the night, often trying to get her out of Gryffindor Tower. She’d complied at one point, following him until he got to the Entrance Hall where she gave up at the thought of going outside and, instead, ventured into the kitchens for some early morning company and grub.

Fobbo had been ecstatic to see her as always, promising he would try to sneak away and see her match. She had tried to talk him out of it, not wanting him to get in trouble but he ultimately wouldn’t have it and as Atlas was trying to get them to have a little more free will she didn’t order him to stay away.

Now though, she just wanted a pick me up and that usually meant sitting with Hermione but the girl had been steadily ignoring her since she found out Atlas had backed out of their agreement to not do dangerous stunts. So Harry was her next best thing, her godbrother practically radiating positive energy. Even collapsing against him a few times as he continued talking to a few Gryffindors, completely unperturbed by his godsisters antics. He’d gotten used to it in the months since they were revealed as practically family as she had come to be a very touchy person.

Hermione had said it was because Atlas sometimes didn’t know how to express herself so she would communicate with actions instead, only to those she was comfortable with, of course. To this, Atlas had only nodded, saying Hermione was spot on.

“Atlas, will you eat something? Oh, look at you!? Did you not get enough sleep? I told you to get some sleep!” Oliver chastised and Atlas sighed, the Gryffindors around her laughing at the scolding.

“Yeah ok! I will!” She shouted, taking up a sausage and then taking up a second one to shove in Oliver’s still rambling mouth, “Only if you do too!”

“Right, yes, of course,” Oliver muttered, chewing mechanically as he eyed each spoonful of food Atlas fed herself. Then, when they’d finished, he hurried the team out of the still bustling hall and towards the pitch so they could get an idea of the conditions. Everyone applauded again when they did, Atlas had heard a few voices call out to her.

“Good luck, Atlas!” Cho had called and then said the same to Harry, the boy promptly going into a round of blushes.

“Happy flying, doggy,” Luna had said with a whispy smile and Atlas sighed, shaking her head with a smile.

“Kill ’em dead, Las!” Cedric had shouted over it all.

“Someone’s popular,” Angelina grinned, nudging her lightly.

“You heard about that little group worshipping Atlas like some saint?” George asked and Atlas eyed him funnily, the boy nodding and turning to his brother, “Tell her Fred.”

“Oh yeah, you’re like the hot-shot of Gryffindor,” Fred grinned, “The daughter of Amaya Magianima, attractive when she does the hair thing, tall, gotta killer smile too, amazing grades, impeccable flying capabilities, best-friends with Harry Potter, owner of a Firebolt, Professor McGonagall’s god-daughter. Fancy a date?”

“Not my type, Fred,” Atlas smirked, pushing his face away. He laughed loudly.

“We all know who your type is,” Katie grinned as Angelina giggled and Harry smiled, Oliver too busy muttering about the weather conditions in front of them.

“What? Who is ‘we’? Because that is certainly not including me,” Fred said.

“Or me,” George added, the twins wearing similar looks of scandalised.

“Let’s hope it stays that way for Atlas’s sake otherwise the entire school will know,” Harry sassed, as Fred and George took dramatic blows to the chest, “That’s assuming everyone doesn’t already know. It’s painfully obvious.”

“Yeah, if Harry knows it’s got to be,” Fred huffed and Harry made a face. “Oh come on lad, you’re denser than Crabbe.”

“Or Goyle,” George added.

“Now that’s just rude,” Atlas defended and then grinned, “He’s more like Harry Potter, you heard of him?”

“Oh, now that’s pushing it!” Katie piped in and the team laughed, even Harry who eventually clocked on and shouted a loud ‘Hey!’ at the insinuation. Finally, the front doors of the castle opened in the distance and the rest of the school spilt onto the lawn, climbing up the towers to find their seats in the stands.

“Locker rooms,” Oliver said tersely.

None of them spoke as they changed into their uniforms. Atlas frowned at the intensity that settled over them when they fully realised what was about to happen but respected the quiet. She pulled off her shirt to grab her uniform, not expecting the door to the girl’s side of the locker room to slam open. Hermione came storming inside and straight over to Atlas, disregarding the fact that she had no shirt on and brung her into a hug.

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Oh…uh, right,” Atlas nodded, glaring over at Katie and Angelina who were grinning at her as she returned the hug.

“I mean it.”

“Alright, alright,” Atlas smiled, pulling away so she could pull her shirt on, Hermione averted her eyes as if she hadn’t been hugging the girl and waited.

“I guess, I’ll go find a seat to cheer you and Harry on?”

“Hey, hold on,” Atlas opened her locker, pulling out her team jacket to hold out to Hermione, “Wear this, it’s cold in the stands.”

“Oh, thank you,” Hermione smiled, taking it tentatively and putting it on. As expected, it was way too big. “Good luck.”

“Don’t need it but thanks anyway, now…” Atlas lightly nudged Hermione back into the direction she had come, “hurry, go. If Oliver sees you he’ll have my head for getting distracted before a match.”

“I distract you?” Hermione asked and both Katie and Angelina broke out into silent giggles, Atlas flushed, pulling on her scarlet robe.

“Go on, will you?” she then turned to her fellow Chaser’s as Hermione smiled and left, “Will you two shut up?”

“Oh you definitely have a crush on Granger,” Katie smirked.

“Look at that blush,” Angelina cooed and Atlas threw her shoe at the girl, pulling on her Quidditch boots and going over to a quickly dressed Oliver, she knew there was no use arguing with the girls. It was fine anyway, she knew she didn’t have a crush on Granger and that was all she needed. Soon enough, the rest of the team finished and they walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise.

Three-quarters of the crowds were wearing scarlet rosettes, waving flags of the Gryffindor lion or holding up banners with slogans like ‘GO GRYFFINDOR!’ and ‘LIONS FOR THE CUP’. The remaining quarter though, were branded with green and silver serpents, signifying the Slytherin snake. Professor Snape, being the head of the house, was sat at the front of them all, smiling very disturbingly. Though most of his smiles were disturbing because they were never really signs of good things.

“And here are the Gryffindors!” Lee Jordan yelled, he was always the commentator for the Quidditch matches of the school and Atlas often said to Fred and George – the boy’s friends – that he was unmatched for the role, having such a passion for the sport. Didn’t hurt that he was a very out-spoken person, “Potter, Bell, Johnson, Black, Weasley, Weasley and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years –“

The Slytherin’s booed and Atlas rolled her eyes, holding her broom over her shoulder like an axe as she fiddled with the gloves Hermione had gotten her.

“And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He’s made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill –“

He had a point, a majority of the Slytherin team were enormous, though Atlas couldn’t talk, she was pretty tall for her age and wasn’t expected to stop growing any time soon, not to mention she was incredibly burly.

“Captains, shake hands!” Madam Hooch shouted.

Atlas kicked the ground absentmindedly, loosening up her shoulders a bit and quickly tying her hair up in its signature half-tail which earned a whistle from Fred and a cheer from Katie.

“Mount your brooms!” Atlas rolled her eyes and did as ordered, shooting the two offenders a quick look. “Three…two…one…”

Atlas – as always – was the first in the air, nabbing the Quaffle from the sky and darting for the hoops. It was a clear shot but she didn’t want to risk it, especially as Graham Montague was seemingly aiming to ram her as soon as she threw toward the hoops, so she spun around and tossed it over to Katie.

“Nice pass to Katie Bell from Atlas Black! Bell’s heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Katie! Argh, no — Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field — WHAM! — nice Bludger work there, by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it’s caught by — Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina — nice swerve around Montague — duck, Angelina, that’s a Bludger!” Atlas found herself thoroughly amused by Lee’s commentary as she whizzed around the pitch, “–SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!”

Atlas held her hand out for their first high-five of the game as Angelina flew towards her, punching the air, the crowd of scarlet around them screaming in triumphant at the first point of the match. Only, before Angelina could accept the gesture, she was nearly thrown off her broom by Marcus Flint, the boy smashing into her.

“Sorry!” Flint said without a hint of remorse as Atlas flew over to Angelina and checked her over, “Sorry, didn’t see her!”

Not a moment later, Fred got close enough and chucked his Beater’s club at the back of Flint’s head, sending him jolting forward where he then smashed his nose off of the stick. Atlas retrieved the club and tossed it back to Fred, a wide grin on her face.

“Nice one Fred,” She smirked, patting his back.

“That will do!” Madam Hooch shrieked, getting between the brewing fight. “Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!”

“Come off it, Miss!” Fred whined.

“Yeah Miss, don’t you think Fred did him a favour with that nose job? Sure Malfoy’s grateful for mine,” Atlas grinned maliciously, rolling up her sleeves as Fred laughed.

“That’s quite enough, Atlas!” Madam Hooch whistled, tossing her the Quaffle, “Are you taking the penalty or not?”

“You bet,” Atlas nodded, flying toward the hoops.

“Come on, Atlas!” Lee yelled as silence fell on the crowd. Atlas pulled back her arm and threw the Quaffle into the air, spinning on her broom so her tail smacked a point right to the Gryffindors, “YES! SHE’S BEATEN THE KEEPER WITH A SPECTACULAR FINBOURGH FLICK! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR! WHAT A PENALTY!”

“Show off!” Katie called and Atlas shrugged.

“Gotta show off a bit for my fans,” She smiled, though she didn’t look towards the screaming crowds and instead fixed her gloves tighter. A habit when she was particularly jittery or excited.

“Think the fame’s gotten to her head, Fred.”

“I think it really has, George.”

“Wood’s a superb Keeper!” Lee told the crowd as a still bleeding Flint waited for Madam Hooch’s whistle. “Superb! Very difficult to pass — very difficult indeed — YES! I DON’T BELIEVE IT! HE’S SAVED IT!”

“Doesn’t have very much faith in Wood does he, saying he doesn’t believe it,” Angelina commented as Katie laughed and zoomed away, Atlas going with her while smiling. She noticed Harry gazing around the field in her peripheral and watched him for a second but then something else caught her eye.

A figure in the stands, it wasn’t Dog, it wasn’t a Dementor, it was something much worse. A shadowy figure, white-eyed and clawed, watching her with a fat and stubby short man stood beside it, he was looking around nervously and when he noticed Atlas had noticed him, he ducked behind the form that had Atlas’s face draining of colour.

Her throat suddenly went rather dry and her scars began to itch, a feverish feeling breaking out across her body as she remained floating, still, in the air, no breath leaving or entering her. She was frozen in every sense of the word, even her heart seemed to slow. Then her senses returned, cheering thundering against her eardrums and Angelina’s voice in her right ear telling her to snap out of it because Slytherin had just scored a point and they were now only up by twenty when they needed to be up by a hundred.

When had that happened? Atlas was only spaced out for a few moments but two scores had been made? One by her team and another by the Slytherin’s? She felt sick and her chest started to clench painfully.

“Black snap out of it!” Angelina called again, this time shaking Atlas’s shoulder. She jolted away and rubbed at her scars, they were stinging and when she pulled her hand away, there was blood, “Merlin’s beard…Atlas what happened!?”

“I — I don’t…”

“Hold on, we need to call for a time out–“

“No! No, don’t!” Atlas rushed, rubbing the blood onto her robes, the colour blending into the fabric. “I’m fine! Honest! Come on, we need to bring this back, we can’t let them score any more points.”

“Atlas–“

“I’m ok, Angelina,” Atlas smiled, “They do that sometimes,” that was a lie. “It’s fine.”

“Alright,” Angelina nodded as George zoomed past.

“Wood says to stop chatting!” He shouted and Angelina flipped him off, earning a hearty laugh from the boy but Atlas was still reeling, acting on autopilot throughout the rest of the game, she scored a couple, upping the score to fifty-ten to Gryffindor.

Then Lucian Bole hit Angelina with his club and George elbowed him in retaliation, resulting in a penalty to each team, Katie took theirs and scored, while Flint missed his thanks to a spectacular save from Oliver. They were now sixty-ten only five more hoops and Harry could catch the Snitch.

Katie scored next (seventy-ten) and Atlas dove down to intercept a pass from Cassius Warrington and Graham Montague, resulting in her almost getting rammed out of the stadium by Flint. The blow winded her and she dropped the Quaffle, Madam Hooch’s whistle blaring through her ears.

“Again Flint!? Penalty to Gryffindor!” Hooch shouted, handing the Quaffle back to Atlas who was still steadily bleeding from the reopened scar through her eye. She took the shot though, no theatrics this time and scored, a roar of applause sounding from the stands. Three more shots and Harry could take it.

A score from Angelina shortened it to two. Fred and George were swooping around the Chasers, focusing more on Angelina as she was playing the most shots at the moment. Katie was acting as a decoy and Atlas was just intercepting passes, making sure none of the Slytherin Chasers had a chance. Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, the Slytherin Beater’s, swooped in and aimed both Bludger’s at Wood, winding him completely as he rolled over in the air.

“YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!” Madam Hooch shrieked at Bole and Derrick. “Gryffindor penalty!”

And Angelina scored. One more shot and Harry could take it. The Quaffle fell to Warrington and Fred pelted a Bludger at him, knocking the red ball out of his hands and down to Katie who was waiting below him.

Problem was, every player besides Malfoy was now rushing for Katie, knowing that if she made the shot, the score would be enough for Harry to retrieve the Snitch and the Quidditch cup would be theirs. So, Atlas darted forward, a rapid-fire plan forming in her head. Katie wouldn’t be able to pass it to her because Flint and Warrington were right in between them, she wouldn’t be able to go ahead either as Montague, Derrick and Bole were using themselves as blockades.

There was really only one thing she could do, well, there wasn’t, there were hundreds of other things she could do but the one she had thought of was the coolest and even though it’d get a scolding from Hermione, Atlas knew it would be worth it. “Katie!” She shouted, still flying full pelt in the direction of the shield of bodies.

“I can’t!”

“I know, so don’t!” Atlas shouted, and then nodded towards the sky. Katie looked at her funnily, wondering what she was planning but ultimately agreed, continuing forward with the Quaffle tucked under her arm and Atlas unwavering in her pursuit.

With a final swipe at the blood from her cheek, Atlas spotted the red ball go flying up into the air. She grinned nervously and stood up on her broom, bending her knees, muttering a few silent prayers to whatever god or deceased grand-wizards were out there and jumped. The Firebolt gave her a boost so she launched herself higher into the air, one arm outstretched and the other adjusting the trajectory.

Then, in one great swing, Atlas punch the Quaffle through the air, watching as it soared through the hoop. She laughed and turned to her broom, beckoning it over to her where she grabbed onto its wood and swung herself upright.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? BLACK LEPT FROM HER BROOM OVER THE OPPOSING TEAM AND PUNCHED THE QUAFFLE THROUGH THE HOOP!” Lee Jordan practically screamed, his voice cracking as the stands went absolutely wild.

Adrenaline pumped into Atlas’s ears as she spun around wildly, her heart so fast, so absolutely crazy her hands had begun to shake, Katie was punching her fists in the air, face beaming and Angelina was cheering along with the crowd. The shot only fueled Fred and George on into attacking with even more ferocity.

“Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor!” Atlas and the rest turned down to see Malfoy dislodging himself from the back of Harry’s broom and back onto his own, Nimbus Two Thousand and One, an evil conniving grin on his face, “I’ve never seen such tactics!”

“YOU CHEATING SCUM!” Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Minerva’s reach, though she wasn’t even trying to grab it from him because she too was shaking and pointing a finger in Malfoy’s direction, her hat falling off. “YOU FILTHY, CHEATING BASTARD –“

Atlas dived down over to her and picked the hat off of the floor, fixing it back on the woman’s head with a smile, “Don’t worry Minnie, we’ll win this.”

“You!” Minerva shouted accusingly, now pointing at Atlas who startled backwards, “You! Do not try such a dangerous trick again, young lady!”

“Would you rather me knocked off my broom?” Atlas grinned, drumming her fingers along her broomstick as Angelina lined up for a penalty shot.

“I THOUGHT IT WAS AMAZING ATLAS!” Lee shouted, still through the megaphone and Atlas winced, “SORRY! Hey, what do you say we go on a date? I know — Ow! Ow!” Minerva had pinched his ear, “–Alright, alright! My offer still stands — no! No! I’m kidding Professor — I’m really not, what do you say? OW!”

Atlas leant over and took the microphone from him, bringing it up to her mouth to speak with a smirk, “Sorry Lee, you’re not exactly my type.”

A few cheers and laughs erupted through the stands and Atlas grinned, flying back to the playfield with newfound determination. Angelina had missed her shot by a good few feet out of pure rage and Slytherin had scored as soon as Atlas came back to the game.

“A hundred and ten-twenty to Gryffindor…” Lee grumbled and Atlas cursed under her breath. She took a pass from Angelina and then tossed it back to Katie, the three of them forming an arrowhead as they shot toward the Slytherin hoops.

Then Atlas took it for herself, darting into the shooting area, “Atlas Black gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Atlas, COME ON! I KNOW YOU REJECTED ME BUT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS SHOT!”

Atlas gritted her teeth and pelted it to the bottom hoop.

“SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by a hundred and twenty points to twenty!” Lee yelled and the stands yelled with him, “I wonder what her type is…?”

“Lee this is a Quidditch commentary, not an opportunity to ask my god-daughter on a date!” Minerva scolded and Atlas chuckled, glancing over to where she had seen the figure for a split second before turning back to the game. She had just been imagining things.

“OH, IT LOOKS LIKE HARRY’S GOING FOR THE SNITCH!” Lee bellowed and Atlas turned her attention downward, watching as Harry pushed Draco’s arm out of the way, dived and caught the Snitch tight in his palm, “HE’S DONE IT! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!”

“Yes!” Atlas cheered, flying down to tackle Harry into a hug, he hugged her back, just as excited, “Harry! You did it! You bloody brilliant boy! Oh, Merlin!”

Oliver joined the huddle, tears falling from his eyes and soon the twins did do, Katie and Angelina chanting, “We’ve won the Cup! We’ve won the Cup!” They sank in a huddle to the floor and then, in no time, they were hoisted up into the air again and Atlas could see everyone.

Hagrid was cheering with crimson rosettes plastered all over him “yeh beat ’em, Harry, Atlas, yeh beat ’em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!”

Then there was Minerva, sobbing harder than even Wood and wiping her tears with the flag around Lee Jordan, Cedric’s face was riddled with streaks of wet and he was screaming himself hoarse, Luna – though looking a bit out of place – was grinning wider than Atlas had ever seen, Cho was screaming and jumping around with her friend Marietta Edgecombe, Ginny was shaking Colin Creevey like a ragdoll and even Neville was shrieking along, his friends Seamus and Dean doing the same.

Finally, Ron and Hermione. Words failed them but the look in Hermione’s eye when she stared up at a sheepishly smiling Atlas, stood in the girl’s Quidditch jacket that hung so very noticeably from her form, would later be described as absolutely love-struck.