Chapter 42

“I don’t know what to do, Las.”

The sounds of running water ceased and Atlas pulled a towel around her, exiting one of the prefects’ showers to where her clothes lay in a pile. She took a moment to decide on how to respond as she dried herself off, Cedric stood waiting by the door. They’d bumped into each other after dinner and she’d taken the opportunity to take a shower using Cedric’s prefect pass. She had been in need of one after Professor Moody’s display in class, a cold sweat having broken out across her body.

Plus, the prefect bathrooms were just so much better. Cleaner, nicer and practically barren. 

“I don’t know, Ced,” Atlas sighed, tossing her towel over her shoulder as she joined the boy outside. She let her damp hair remain untied, wetting her shoulders. She was too tired to care. “Look, Cho totally likes you. She asked about us. Asked if we were a thing. She clearly wants to make a move.”

“Then why doesn’t she!?”

“There’s that stigma around girls asking boys out, you know, cause unlike you, most of the other boys take pride in their…well, pride,” Atlas told and then slapped Cedric’s back, “just go for it, Ced. There’s no way she’ll say no, alright? And…if she does…there’s plenty of fish in the sea?”

Cedric looked at her funnily.

“It’s a muggle saying, Hermione taught me it but that’s not the point! Seriously, Ced…you’ve got this,” Atlas smiled and Cedric nodded, huffing slightly before laughing. “What? What did I say?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he waved off and hooked an arm over her shoulder. “You’re just the best.”

“I know,” Atlas grinned, swiping her hand through her hair. They walked in silence a moment, Cedric seemingly debating another thought in his mind. Atlas was in her own world, nodding and waving at those that passed by. Being polite, in a word. Otherwise, she was just fiddling with her wand in her pocket, thinking about that afternoon’s DADA lesson with Moody. It had been bothering her for the entirety of the day because, yes, granted, Moody could be strict, he was a loose cannon, erratic but there was something about him, something about the way he presented himself.

Like an act of some sort. 

“Are you excited for the tournament?”

“Hmm? Oh–!” Atlas nodded, turning and walking backwards as she talked to the boy animatedly. “The tournament, not so much but the people!? Zasha and Fleur are coming!” she announced and Cedric nodded slowly, having no idea who these people were but still being glad Atlas seemed so excited and happy. “Knowing Fleur she’ll enter the tournament, though,” she chuckled, “rather her than me.”

“What?”

They rounded into the hallway holding the Fat Lady’s painting, the door to Gryffindor Tower. “What? This whole tournament is stupid to me, I wouldn’t enter even if I could.”

Cedric laughed slightly, “It’s not stupid,” he refuted and Atlas cocked a brow. “It’d be an honour to be chosen, to represent the school. Could you imagine if you won, Atlas? Everyone would know your…name…”

“Yeah, see where it lost its appeal to me?” Atlas smiled, crossing her arms. “You’re going to enter aren’t you?”

“Well…yeah?” Cedric nodded and Atlas rolled her eyes, continuing to the Fat Lady and offering her that weeks password. The Hufflepuff quickly jogged after her, catching his borrowed towel as it was thrown back to him. “What did the eye roll mean, Las?”

“Just exasperated at how stupid you can be,” Atlas grinned, wiggling her fingers in farewell as the Fat Lady closed, creating a wall between the two. Cedric huffed lightly as he stared and slowly turned on his heel, going back the way he came.

Meanwhile, Atlas sighed and frowned, rubbing the back of her neck as she turned and moved further into the Gryffindor Common Room, spotting Ron and Harry at the centre table, pooling over their Divination homework. She smiled lightly and walked over to them, sitting on the couch opposite, with Crookshanks who arched his back and purred against her hand. He hopped up to sit comfortably in her lap, and Atlas nestled her hand amongst his fur.

“Not going to have a very good month are you?” She smirked, peering down at Ron’s prediction chart for the coming month. It was homework set by Professor Trelawney who no doubt would lap up any tragic happenstance Ron and Harry had supposedly seen in the planets and stars.

“I’ll have you know it’ll be even worse,” Ron huffed, “when I’ve finished.”

“We reverted back to our old way, making it up,” Harry grinned as Ron and Atlas fist-bumped. “Have you finished yours?”

“Oh yeah, handed it in already. Told her the stars predicted I would have a bad experience with a lizard in one of them,” She told, running her hand through her hair to swipe a few wet strands from her eyes. 

“A lizard?” Ron laughed and Atlas nodded matter-of-factly. 

“Hello everyone,” The three turned to the portrait hole, startled to see Hermione had walked in unseen and unheard but also the fact that she had walked in in the first place. Hermione, as of late, had been staying out until curfew, doing whatever she had been in the library so it was a real surprise to see her. “I’ve finished earlier than expected! Crammed everything in!”

Despite her earlier grumblings and the tiniest pieces of resentment she had held, Atlas perked up, sitting straight in her chair to welcome her best friend, taking in her glowing appearance. She was holding a sheaf of parchment in one hand and a box of rattling objects in the other as she walked over, grinning from ear to ear.

“So have I!” Ron whooped triumphantly, throwing down his quill. Hermione looked at him quizzically, set her things down on the floor and sat in an empty armchair, totally opposite Atlas. The Black frowned but didn’t say anything, biting the inside of her cheek as she stroked Crookshanks idly.

“Not going to have a very good month, are you?” Hermione noticed.

“That’s what Atlas said,” Harry grinned, glancing over to said girl, he, however, pinched his brows in concern when he saw the girls downtrodden expression and sneakily moved over to her, leaving Ron and Hermione to bicker back and forth. “Hey, Atlas…what’s wrong?”

Atlas blinked and looked up at Harry in surprise, only to smile and butt her head against his affectionately. A habit she’d picked up from Lyra and her siblings when she’d shift and go on walks with them, “nothing, just…tired.”

“You always say that.”

“Maybe I’m just always tired?”

“Fair point,” Harry grinned and Atlas smiled back.

“Anyway!” Hermione huffed, turning away from Ron and back to the trio as a whole, she looked over at Harry and Atlas curiously a moment before smiling at them, or rather Atlas specifically as Harry had slunk back to his spot beside Ron, “Hey you, I finished my project.”

“You did?” Atlas asked, straightening once more as she stood up with Crookshanks and decided to sit by Hermione’s legs, “Let’s see it then.”

“Well, I…” Hermione cleared her throat, glancing down at Atlas who had rested her head against her thigh. “Well um…yes, alright,” she nodded and plucked the lid from the box, tilting it ever so slightly to show the three the contents. Inside were about fifty badges, all of them being different colours, but all bearing the same letters: S. P. E. W.

“Spew?” Harry muttered, picking up a badge and looking at it, Atlas did the same, thumbing the print over with a small smile, “What’s this about?”

“Not spew,” Hermione huffed impatiently. “It’s S-P-E-W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.”

“Never heard of it,” Ron mumbled, scratching behind his ear.

“Well, of course you haven’t,” Hermione smiled excitedly, “I’ve only just started it.”

“Yeah?”Ron uttered in mild surprise. “How many members have you got?”

“Well – if you three join – four,” said Hermione.

“And you think we want to walk around wearing badges saying ‘spew,’ do you?” Ron grimaced and Atlas threw a ball of paper at him with a little glare.

“S-P-E-W!” Hermione said heatedly. “I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status – but it wouldn’t fit. So that’s the heading of our manifesto.”

She brandished the sheaf of parchment at them. Atlas reached out a took it from her, leaning her cheek against her knee and softly stroking Crookshanks as she read down the long length of information Hermione had gathered, noticing the number 1 in the bottom corner. She wondered how much Hermione had done and glanced up at her, noticing light bags under her eyes. Hermione had said she was going to hurry to finish it that morning for her and after seeing her state, Atlas worried her lip. 

“I’ve been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can’t believe no one’s done anything about it before now.”

“Hermione – open your ears,” Ron said loudly. “They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!”

“Our short-term aims,” Hermione continued, “are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, because they’re shockingly underrepresented.”

“And how do we do all this?” Harry asked.

“We start by recruiting members,” Hermione cheered happily. “I thought two Sickles to join – that buys a badge – and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign. You’re treasurer, Ron – I’ve got you a collecting tin upstairs – and Harry, you’re secretary, so you might want to write down everything I’m saying now, as a record of our first meeting.”

“What am I?” Atlas asked, peering up at her.

“Well…” Hermione smiled nervously, “I was wondering if you could spread the word? You’re really popular so, I thought, maybe…?”

Atlas smiled softly, “Course I will, Mi.”

Hermione seemed momentarily taken aback before she grinned and launched forward, wrapping Atlas up in a tight hug. “Thank you…” Atlas lightly tapped her back and when she pulled away, she stood up, putting Crookshanks back into the lap of his owner as she rummaged through her pockets. She came across some change and tossed the few galleons into Hermione’s box, plucking up a SPEW badge and attaching it to her collar.

“You boys getting one?” Atlas asked, cocking a brow and looking over at them imploringly. Harry sighed and chucked his own galleon to the box, picking up two for both him and Ron. Ron seemed to hesitate, staring at the badge and then glancing over to Harry before they both resigned and attached them to their persons.

There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the three of them, looking on the brink of bursting as she looked to the galleons in her box, so much more than what she was initially charging. She jumped up and hugged Harry and Ron, turning to Atlas finally, to give her a longer much fiercer hug. Atlas glared over at the boys as they smirked at her, the Common Room settling into a peaceful silence.

That was until it was broken by a soft tap on the window. Atlas looked across the room and saw, illuminated by the moonlight, a snowy owl perched on the windowsill. It was Hedwig, Harry’s owl. How many times had she woken up to the bird playing with Kalo at her windowsill? She’d recognise her anywhere.

“Hedwig!” Harry shouted, and he launched himself out of his chair and across the room to pull open the window. Hedwig flew inside, soared across the room, and landed on Atlas’s shoulder. The human had steadily become one of her favourites since their meeting. Hermione startled and laughed, pulling away as Harry huffed and hurried over to her.

“About time…” he grumbled.

“She’s got an answer!” Ron said excitedly, pointing at the grubby piece of parchment tied to Hedwig’s leg. Atlas untied it gently and handed it to Harry, sitting down beside him when he moved to the sofa to read and urging Hedwig to perch herself on Harry’s knee. She did.

“What does it say?” Hermione asked breathlessly.

The letter was very short and looked as though it had been scrawled in a great hurry. Atlas was used to the shortness but the scrawled writing was new, Sirius always had quite neat handwriting, like he delicately carved each word into the paper with mastery. Harry read it aloud:

Harry –

I’m flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumours that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore – they’re saying he’s got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he’s reading the signs, even if no one else is. Moody is a man I would trust with my very soul, the number of times he’s gotten Amaya out of a pinch and vice versa — I’ve lost count.

I’ll be in touch soon. My best to Ron, Hermione and Atlas. Keep your eyes open, Harry.

Sirius.

P.S. give the attached letter to Atlas. It’s private.

Atlas didn’t wait for Harry to hand the paper to her and instead lunge for it, ripping it out of the envelope and standing from her seat to pace by the fire. Her dad was coming back? Back to Hogwarts? He couldn’t, it was too dangerous. There would be too much coverage, Hogwarts was going to be a hotspot for the press in the coming months, he’d get caught.

She unfolded the parchment piece, noticing it had been hastily ripped from the larger letter and written on in small secretive letters. She stopped as she read it, glancing up at her friends as they seemed to bicker back and forth, making sure they wouldn’t try and read what was scrawled upon it.

Atlas, my star –

As you must have heard I am flying North and I know Harry will worry but I trust you will believe in me. I promise you, I will be cautious. I will be there as soon as I can but in the meantime, I must ask you to look out for Harry. Secretly, if you don’t mind. Knowing James and Lily, their dislike for being coddled after will have passed down to him. But not just him, look after yourself as well, pumpkin, I fear there are challenges to come. I would keep an eye on Hermione as well, with the attack on the Quidditch World Cup, it is clear Muggles and Muggle-borns are being targetted. For fun? For a purpose? I don’t know.

Now, I know you like to keep my letters but please, burn this one. It’ll let me know you have read it.

I love you to the stars and back. Don’t ever doubt that.

Sirius.

Without a thought, Atlas crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the fire beside her, running a hand through her hair as she turned and looked back up at Hermione. She was the only one left. “Where’s Harry? Ron?”

“They’ve gone to bed,” Hermione told, looking over at the fire and watching as the flames consumed the paper ball. “I thought you kept Sirius’s letters?”

“He told me to burn it,” Atlas muttered and then sighed, collapsing into the armchair behind her and rubbing her hands down her face. “What is he thinking? Coming back…he’s going to get caught and we don’t have Pettigrew to prove his innocence and–“

“Hey…” Hermione whispered soothingly, crouching down and placing a hand on Atlas’s knee. Atlas looked at her through a few strands of hair, eyes slightly watery as she did. “It’ll be ok, Atlas. When he gets here, I doubt he’ll appear too often in his human form, alright? He has his Animagus.”

“I — I believe in him, I do, I just…I couldn’t deal with it if he got caught…they’d kill him for sure, or — or set the Dementors on him and I just…I can’t imagine…” Atlas let out a breath. “Fuck…” she uttered softly, leaning back in her chair and tilting her head to the ceiling. “What are we going to do Mi?”

“…wait.” Hermione shrugged half-heartedly and Atlas looked at her. “That’s all we can do, is wait.”

“I hate waiting…” Atlas murmured and then stood. Hermione going with her as they turned in for the night, Crookshanks hot on their heels. “it’s torturous.”

Attempting to lighten the situation, Hermione butted her head against Atlas’s shoulder, hooking her arm through the looped Atlas had made in her own. “How about, now that I’ve finished the starting part of my project…you join me in the library?”

“…really?” Atlas said, looking down at her sceptically. “Won’t I distract you?”

“I may have lied a little bit,” Hermione winced and Atlas looked down at her confusedly. “You wouldn’t have distracted me…too much. I really just wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Oh,” Atlas mouthed before slowly smiling, “Well, I was surprised so…mission accomplished?”

“Sorry for making you feel the way you did…Ginny sort of…told me,” Hermione said and Atlas sighed, running a hand through her hair. “That’s why I rushed! So that we could spend more time together. I didn’t want to leave you alone for too long after knowing about how you’d spent the Summer–“

“Mi,” Atlas stopped and turned to hold Hermione’s arms, staring down at her with worry and guilt pinched at her face. “Don’t…overwork yourself. Please. I — I know this is important to you and I will support you every step of the way but…you’re…starting to look like a ghoul.”

“I am not!” Hermione huffed indignantly and Atlas smiled, hooking an arm around her as she continued to feud with the air. “I was just trying to apologise for making you feel lonely.”

“That’s something I need to work on though,” Atlas shrugged, “I can’t expect you to just always be there.”

“But I want to be,” Hermione insisted and then sighed, readjusting her S.P.E.W box under her arm to stare up at Atlas imploringly. “You’re…basically the bestest friend I have ever had, Atty. Harry and Ron have each other and I have you. Trust me, I want to be with you,” she flushed and Atlas went slightly wide-eyed, smirking in disbelief. “I meant –“

“I know what you meant,” Atlas said softly, kissing the top of Hermione’s head as she would Crookshanks. “And thank you. Now, let’s get to bed, I feel like I’m going to collapse and you look like your going to collapse.”

“Fair point,” Hermione yawned and Atlas smiled fondly, scooping the box from underneath her arm and ignoring her as she called for her to give it back the entire rest of the way up the stairs. “Give it back Atlas.”

“What will you give me?”

“Nothing!”

“How about a little smooch, seeing as though you want to be with me.”

“Ugh, Atlas! You’re insufferable!”

“You’ve told me before!”