Chapter 10

It was mid-October and Atlas was sat at the front of her DADA lesson, Professor Lupin was continuing with their Kappas topic, describing them as water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys with webbed hands. She’d only ever seen monkeys in the picture books around Minerva’s house but had had the unfortunate luck of meeting a Kappa in a pond somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest. The raspy voice she had for days after was the only evidence that she had come across one thanks to a near-death by suffocation.

Looking back on it, Atlas found the whole ordeal rather funny, putting the almost dying part aside it was a life lesson. Never enter the home of a Kappa if you weren’t invited.

The class came to an end and Atlas stood, Hermione absentmindedly standing next to her, arranging her books in her bag. It became a custom – though Atlas didn’t think Hermione realised she was doing it – for Hermione to wait for her after class ended. 

“You can go, you know?” Atlas smirked, not looking up from her hands as she unwrapped them. Hermione startled beside her and looked around, realising she hadn’t left the class.

“Oh, no, no it’s fine,” Hermione smiled and Atlas fixed her with a stare, “What?”

“Your subconscious is awfully fond of me.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure,” Atlas smiled, running her free hand through her hair. “Alright, let’s go–“

“Ah, Miss Black,” Professor Lupin called and the two girls stopped, Atlas, looking over at him while Hermione looked at her in concern before following the gaze. “Might I have a moment of your time?”

“Of course, Professor,” Atlas nodded, motioning for Hermione to go on without her, “Go on, Hermione, I’ll see you after Quidditch.”

“Alright,” Hermione nodded, leaving the class so it was just Professor Lupin and Atlas, standing in silence. They hadn’t spoken, not even when Atlas came in early, the man would always busy himself with something. It was a little awkward, Atlas knowing the man knew what her fear was and Professor Lupin not knowing how to approach the subject.

“Atlas, I would just like to say I’m sorry…for putting you through something like that,” Professor Lupin smiled warily and Atlas returned the gesture, though fully and confidently in comparison to his unsure.

“It’s not a problem Professor…I got over it,” she reassured. “It was just poorly timed, I hadn’t gotten a good nights sleep and seeing the thing that plagued my nightmares in front of me struck a chord.”

“I understand…” He nodded and then silence followed, leaving the two of them just staring at each other, “the figure…I’ve come to realise it was the substitute for the faceless form that…murdered your mother.”

A staggered breath left Atlas as she nodded and took a seat on her desk, looking around the room for a second before fixing her stare back on the professor, “you’d be right…but it also did this.” she gestured to her face and the man nodded sadly.

“Permit me to say Atlas…but…your Boggart, it reminded me of something…”

“Professor?” 

“Yes. Well, it might be nothing but…your Boggart reminded me of a certain creature, one of pure magical power. Perhaps you’ve heard of it…an Obscurus?” Professor Lupin said, his eyes contemplative. Atlas shook her head, having not heard of the creature.

“I can’t say I have sir…”

“Oh well…never mind me then. It’s probably a coincidence, me finding things in images that are not there. Your mother had been intrigued by the Obscurus at some point in time, perhaps that is why I’ve come to such a connection,” Professor Lupin told. Still, Atlas didn’t know what he was talking about and though her brain craved for answers, her throat closed at the thought of asking what it was. So, she shifted the topic onto something her throat did allow.

“Sir…might I ask how you got your scars?”

“That…” he seemed to hesitate, his mouth open but no words leaving him, “I got them from myself…” he looked away and went over to his desk, Atlas just stood staring for a moment before a bulb of realisation lit up in her mind, her eyes widening.

“You’re a werewolf,” she breathed, it was quiet, almost inaudible but the way Professor Lupin flinched confirmed he had heard her, “Why did you tell me?”

“Your mother was the first to ever know, I see her in you,” He replied, still not turning to look at her. “So, I suppose I told you for old times sake.”

“Thank you,” Atlas smiled and he turned to look at her, “for trusting me, I won’t tell anyone, you’re a favourite of mine, I don’t want to see you go,” she shrugged nonchalantly but grinned when she saw the look on Lupin’s face. “I’m an Animagus by the way.”

“Dumbledore did mention,” Professor Lupin nodded with a small smile. “A Dire Wolf…formidable indeed, first magical Animagus I’ve ever encountered…it’s an honour really.”

“Not many people attempt the ritual but if they did I’m sure a dragon or two would pop up somewhere,” she smiled but it was true. The Dire Wolf – not to be confused with the ones the muggles knew to be extinct – a beast standing at 10ft tall on its hind legs. Something not to be messed with. With a pelt as tough as a titanium fed Alicanto, the strength of a Giant and the senses and reflexes of a Griffin. “I don’t shift often anymore.”

“You’d scare the local wildlife,” Professor Lupin chuckled and Atlas did so with him. “Or the locals in general.”

“Probably, though I meant because I have school,” Atlas smiled, hooking her bag over her shoulder, there was another bit of silence before, quickly as she could, Atlas went forward and gave the man a short hug, “I have to go to practice…but thank you for telling me and I’m sorry it hurts so bad.”

“I’ve gotten used to it over the years,” He responded sadly and Atlas pulled away with a careful smile. “Take care, Atlas.”

“You too, Remus,” she responded slyly but the man only smiled, seeing a flicker of Amaya Magianima in front of him, leaving him momentarily stunned. By the time he snapped out of it, Atlas was gone, hurrying off to the first practice of the Quidditch season she could attend – per Madam Pomfrey’s orders – Oliver had been opposed to her skipping at first but soon realised he’d rather have his Chaser out of training than permanently handicapped.

At this thought Atlas smiled, shaking her head as she finally made it to the session, it was raining and cold, the sky darker than it was a few moment’s ago. She could see the team already in the air and decided to go to the changing rooms, quickly pulling out the Chaser Uniform and grabbing her Firebolt from her locker. The rain outside was relentless so Atlas automatically knew she would be soaked by the end of training.

She didn’t mind though and stepped out into the abysmal weather, mounting her broom and meeting Oliver in the sky, he startled slightly, having not seen her arrive but immediately brightened. There was a large grin on his face when Atlas turned to look at him through the rain, her goggles stuck firmly to her face.

“Atlas!” he shouted over the downpour. He looked half tempted to lean over and bring her into a hug but luckily for the girl he refrained, instead, hovering in the air and silently buzzing in anticipation for her reply.

“Hello, Captain.”

“You’re training! Are you better!?”

“As good as I can be,” Atlas nodded.

“Good! Great!” he nodded and then motioned turned to the rest of the team, whizzing around the stadium, “Hey!” He yelled, pulling his wand out and sending a small spark to the sky, soon the whole team gathered around him, looking at Atlas, all excited to meet her. “This is Atlas, she’ll be practising with us from now on.”

“Thank Merlin, working with just me and Katie has been tiring,” Angelina sighed and then moved slightly forward, taking a hand off of her broom to stretch it to Atlas. The Black took it, grinning charmingly. “Killer smile.”

“Killer moves,” Atlas smirked. “I watched you fly while I and Oliver waited for you to round up,” she cleared when the girl gave her a quizzical glance, “I like to watch the Chasers so I can see how they handle the Quaffle.”

“Noted,” Angelina nodded. “I’m Angelina Johnson, this is Katie Bell.”

“Nice to meet you,” Atlas said and then looked to Katie, taking the girls outstretched hand in a firm shake, “You too, Katie.”

“Hi Atlas,” She replied with a smile.

“You already know me,” Harry grinned.

“Everybody knows you, lad,” One of the twins said, Atlas tried to squint through the rain. She’d encountered the twins quite a few times in the Common Rooms and she’d come to realise Fred’s nose was slightly larger than George’s. “I’m Fred.”

“Nice try,” Atlas rolled her eyes, “Hello, George.”

“Hear that Fred, someone can tell us apart,” George grinned and looked to his brother who was smiling equally as wide, “How’d you know?”

“Secret,” Atlas shrugged. “So are we going to practice?”

“Yes! Yes, of course!” Oliver cheered, seemingly in higher spirits than before. He whisked them away and Atlas shook her head amusedly, following after Harry a moment. Katie and Angelina were finishing the combo they had come up with in the background, so she wasn’t needed by any of the team just yet. It seemed Harry was having a hard time finding the snitch anyway so following him wouldn’t be a bother.

“So, first practise together,” she mused, slicking her sopping wet hair back and adjusting her impervius enchanted goggles. She’d had them since she started flying and it looked like Harry needed a pair too considering his were fogging up a considerable amount. “Can you even see me?”

“No,” he smiled sheepishly, taking them off to clear them of rain. “I’ll have to ask Hermione to charm them with something.”

“Too bad I don’t know the wand movement for Impervius,” Atlas shrugged, looking over to Katie and Angelina who seemed to have finished whatever they were doing, “Have fun, Harry.”

“Will do,” he mumbled with a slight shiver in his words, he was no doubt cold. She sent him a wave and dived down to intercept a pass Angelina made to Katie, throwing it up and down before spinning and scoring a goal from around her back, a triumphant grin on her face.

“Show off!” Angelina shouted over to her, she smiled and sent the two girls a shrug and disarming smile, turning to look back at Oliver to catch the Quaffle he had sent back to her.

“You two against me!”

“Oh, it’s on!” Katie smiled, already diving for Atlas. The Black laughed and dangled upside-down just as Katie reached for the bright red ball, fixing a cocky smirk on her face when she went back upright. She turned to the goal again, aiming for the top and biggest hoop and throwing, only to intercept her own shot and aim it to the lowest hoop. The move stunned the team into silence, even Harry who had been occupied in his hunt for the snitch.

“Now I know why she didn’t go through official tryouts,” Angelina mused. “That was awesome.”

“Learnt that one from a book,” Atlas said, cocking a brow and tilting her head to the side. A Bludger entered her peripheral so she quickly moved out of the way, the metal just brushing against her shoulder. “Merlin’s beard, Fred, George can one of you pay attention enough to stop a Bludger from breaking my arm?”

“Sorry girly,” George called, batting the Bludger away from Angelina who thanked him quietly.

“Right, let’s get back to it!” Oliver shouted and the team slowly dispersed, “Our time is almost up!”

*

Trudging up to the Gryffindor Towers, covered in mud and soaked in both sweat and rain, the team looked like a group of walking corpses, cold and stiff, some even slightly blue in the face. Atlas had half of her hair tied up in a tail while the rest stuck against her neck. It would dry quicker this way.

Katie had helped her – Atlas’s fingers were too cold because she had forgotten her hand wraps – and had complimented her on the look. The Black had only smiled and given her thanks. Now Katie and Angelina were hanging back to talk to her as they walked, “Ever thought about growing out your hair?”

Through the pain in her arm due to a particularly heavy hit from a Bludger the twins had failed to save her from, Atlas smiled slightly and shook her head, “No, I like it this length.”

“It’s easier to manage, I suspect,” Katie said this time and Atlas nodded down at her. The girl was a lot shorter than Atlas, even Angelina only just came to her shoulder and she was quite tall. “Have you got your jacket yet?”

“Jacket? What jacket?” Atlas asked.

“Every House’s Quidditch Team has them, we wear them around the season to show off our colours. You should have one by now,” Angelina cleared but Atlas shook her head, she’d heard of no such thing.

“We’ll talk to Oliver about it then, I’m sure he just must’ve forgotten with everything going on,” Katie offered.

“Alright then…are the jackets a big deal though?”

“No, but we like to wear them,” Angelina shrugged.

“They’re so comfortable too!” Katie rushed, “They were introduced a few decades ago, some transfer from Ilvermorny put forward the idea because apparently, they’re all the craze in America.”

“I see,” Atlas hummed. “If they’re really as great as you say, I’ll definitely have one.”

“Trust me, they’re awesome,” Katie said.

“Atlas!” Harry called and motioned her over. Atlas excused herself from the girls and ventured over to him, hunching over slightly so she could better listen to what the boy was going to say, “You were awesome today.”

“Ah, thanks Harry,” she smiled, rubbing the back of her neck, “you were awesome too, I never would have been able to spot the snitch in that weather.”

“You’re just saying that,” he waved off, though he puffed up a bit at the compliment. The team climbed through the Fat Lady’s painting and came to a stop in the common room finding a buzz of excitement waiting inside. Atlas looked around in confusion, her eye landing on Hermione who shot up from her chair and ran over to them, giving them a once over.

“Merlin, you’re soaked,” She said, raising her hand to brush away a stray strand of her friend’s hair. Atlas sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, it was very…wet outside,” she supplied and then moved to walk up into the dormitories, “I’ll be down in a second, just need to have a quick shower and get changed.”

“I think that’s a good idea, don’t want you to get a cold,” Hermione smiled and Atlas returned the look and ascended the stairs. It didn’t take long for her to return, this time sporting a baggy jumper and pants, her hair tied the same as it had been. She had a bit more colour in her face, a colour that wasn’t odd hues of blue and purple from the cold. 

“M’back,” She mumbled, rubbing at her eyes and sitting right down beside Hermione who was in the middle of chastising Ron on something to do with Harry and the Hogsmeade trip. Right, Atlas had forgotten about that, she’d gotten permission and originally she’d just wanted the chance to go home for a bit, maybe say hi to Isabella’s dad and chop up a bit more firewood, perhaps even visit Lyra and the pups like she’d done on her way to see her mother’s grave the month prior.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

A sudden weight jumped into her lap and she looked down to see Crookshanks with a large dead spider hanging from his mouth. Atlas grinned and stroked down the back of his head, internally praising the cat and his exterminating skills. The spider was quite big so Atlas was grateful, she didn’t mind spiders but she would also much rather do without them hanging over her in her sleep.

“Does he have to eat that in front of us?” Ron scowled and Atlas sensed a bit of bad blood between the cat and boy. Though Hermione didn’t seem fussed, so she didn’t read into it. She was sure she’d soon find out anyway.

“Do you have to breath in front of us?” Ginny sounded from where she sat across from Hermione and Atlas. Fred and George laughed while Atlas smirked in amusement.

“Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?” Hermione cooed and Atlas smiled softly, still stroking Crookshanks but also staring at Hermione’s utterly amused face.

“Just keep him over there, that’s all,” Ron grumbled as Crookshanks burrowed underneath Atlas’s jumper, his squished face popping out of the neck hole and resuming his staring contest with the ginger boy, “I’ve got Scabbers asleep in my bag.”

A weight leant against Atlas’s side and she turned, seeing Hermione practically lying up against her, completing her Astronomy homework with a look of contentment. It brought a smile to her face as she turned her head back to Crookshanks, placing a kiss atop his head and scratching between his ears. He licked her nose in thanks and she chuckled, scrunching up her face when he padded his paws up at her.

“He really likes you,” Hermione murmured, Atlas nodded mutely. “I’m glad, he doesn’t like a majority of the others.”

“I have that effect on animals…”

“And people.” Atlas startled and turned to look back at Hermione only for the girl to already be occupied by her homework again. At this, Atlas huffed a laugh and leant her own head on top of Hermione’s, playing with the toe pads of Crookshanks’s feet absentmindedly. “Don’t you have any homework?”

“Yeah, some Astronomy, English and Maths assignments, they’re upstairs.”

“You should go and get them, I can help you if you want?”

“It’s alright, I’ll do it tonight, besides, I’m relaxing right now,” she mused and just as she was about to say something else, Crookshanks disentangled himself from her jumper and pounced out of her hold, knocking her head back when he used it as a platform to get a leaping start.

A groan of pain came from her as she brought her hand up and touched at her cheek, a stinging sensation coming from it clearly indicating it had been scratched. “OY!” Ron screamed and Atlas peered over at him through barely-open eyes, still grimacing, “GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!”

“Atlas are you ok–? Ron, don’t hurt him!” Hermione cried all at once and only then did Atlas grasp the situation in full. Crookshanks had jumped from her hold to go after Scabbers, located in Ron’s bag which was currently getting assaulted by a flourish of cat claws. Subsequently, Ron had jumped in and started whirling the bag around.

A poor decision considering Scabbers came flying out of it and had begun zig-zagging his way through Gryffindor legs in a fit of panic. Of course, Crookshanks leapt after him after freeing himself from the remnants of Ron’s bag, “CATCH THAT CAT!”

At once, Atlas sprung from her seat and jumped over the couch, stopping so she didn’t barge into George – who had just made an attempt at swiping the cat – and, instead, turning to grab the little felon as he tried to get at the rat who’d found his safe haven beneath a chest of drawers. Though highly dramatised, Ron mirrored the action, throwing himself onto his stomach to pull Scabbers out from underneath.

“Look at him!” He shouted furiously, glaring right at Hermione who had gone quite red in the face, “He’s skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!”

“Crookshanks doesn’t know it’s wrong,” Atlas tried, grinning as Crookshanks licked at the cut he had made on her cheek. The sandpaper-like feeling itched at the cut so it stung more but Atlas really couldn’t do much to stop the little guy’s advances considering he was latched on pretty tight at her jumper.

“All cats chase rats, Ron!” Hermione added, going over to Atlas to try and help her with her cat who, apparently, had really bad attachment issues.

“There’s something funny about that animal!” Ron said, putting Scabbers in his pocket, “It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!”

“Oh, what rubbish,” Hermione shook her head, “Crookshanks could smell him, Ron! How else do you think–!”

“That cat’s got it in for Scabbers!” Ron shouted back, his voice cracking slightly, “And Scabbers was here first, and he’s ill!” He stormed off, climbing the stairs that lead to the boy’s dormitories.

“What an idiot…” Hermione sighed, rubbing at the bridge of her nose and taking Crookshanks from around Atlas with great difficulty, “Are you ok?”

“It’s just a light scratch, Mione, don’t worry,” Atlas smiled as Hermione brushed her thumb over the cut, brows furrowing together in thought and then releasing with a soft chuckle.

“You’re tired?”

“A little. Why?”

“You only say Mione when you’re tired.”

Atlas’s cheeks coloured slightly, her eyes going somewhat wider as she glanced around at the people remaining. Luckily they’d all gone back to what they were doing, even Harry was nowhere to be seen, clearly telling he’d gone after Ron. “Sorry.”

“It’s not bad…I kind of like it,” she shrugged, looking off to the side. Atlas smirked.

“You do?”

“Sure, I suppose…” she shuffled and then cleared her throat, “You can call me it as long as I get to call you something.”

“Like?”

“…how about Atty?”

“How imaginative, I was thinking something more along the lines of ‘yours’ but Atty works,” Atlas teased and Hermione flushed, pushing at her face as she rolled her eyes. Atlas laughed lightly but then smiled, nodding approvingly. “Alright, sure. Atty it is.”

“Alright then,” Hermione smiled, the two of them just staring at each other, a Crookshanks between them. A cough came from somewhere in the room and the two of them turned to see Ginny and one of her dormmates smirking over at them. Atlas looked a little quizzical but Hermione shot her a stern look, looking back to Atlas and handing her Crookshanks. “You should go to bed.”

“Oh yeah–” she yawned, “I should, see you then Mione.”

“Night Atty.”