MAGIANIMA // Hermione Granger

Cherry

Monday morning came and Atlas left, early, just as the sun kissed the horizon, leaving Gryffindor Tower to slumber as she moved throughout the castle, undisturbed by any souls doing some early morning wandering and came to her destination minutes later. Minerva's office, nobody was inside yet, no light pouring from the crack at the bottom of the door but Atlas ventured inside regardless, closing it quietly behind her and flicking the light on with a whisk of her wand.

It was quiet, the usual paper planes and figures of creatures from legends of old remaining stationary, their natural state, even when Atlas picked them up and examined them to pass the time. The room was quite eerie when there was no true life inside, many unseeing eyes surveying the innards of the office and in turn, Atlas as she sat in a worn chair, torn from excessive usage.

She fiddled with her gloves, stood up at moments to walk to the length of the room, skimming the spines of old Transfiguration books and gazing upon the old magical instruments strung from the ceiling. All of this to pass every minute she spent waiting for Minerva's arrival, which was apparently much later than usual. By now the woman would be marking the last dregs of homework she had been given or marking up new lesson plans, perhaps even taking a secret cat nap to soothe her weary bones. But no, the woman was nowhere to be found.

Not until a good half an hour later, when breakfast had reached its halfway mark. That was when she ambled inside, first confused by the light of her office and then understanding when she lay her eyes upon Atlas, the girl sat with a small cat figure in hand. It came to life and jumped away, leaving Atlas to blink out of her stupor, suddenly sitting straighter and turning to look up at Minerva.

"Atlas, what are you doing here?"

"Minerva," Atlas stood and brushed herself down, glancing around for a moment only to appreciate how everything came to life, filling the room with a mystical warmth. "You're later than usual."

"Yes, well, I have had many students pursuing me this morning, in regards to Professor Umbridge's new decree. Please do not tell me you are also seeking such guidance?" Minerva queried and at the look on Atlas's face, she relaxed, "seems not. So, what can I do for you, my dear?"

"I just...I needed to ask you something. About potions," Atlas said and Minerva rose a brow, "and no, I can't go to Snape with this."

"I see, well, I am a Transfiguration professor, Atlas, so I might not have the answers you seek," Minerva reasoned as she took her seat, raising a hand to stroke a large wooden cat that wandered over to her. "What would you like to know."

"Is there...how would one go about making a cure for a blood curse?"

"A blood curse?" Minerva repeated and Atlas nodded, hands behind her back as Minerva looked upon her quizzically, "well, unless one could go back in time and cure the origin, curing a descendent of the curse bearer is, as of late, impossible."

"Ok, so...what about potions to slow it down?"

"That is possible, I've heard of many blood curse bearers living their lives pain-free until their untimely demise thanks to many different witches and wizards," Minerva nodded and Atlas went a little wide-eyed, "however, I am not one of those witches capable of producing such a thing, nor do I think Professor Snape would be able. Those recipes are taken to the grave. Such a selfish thing to do."

"You...don't have a clue, or?"

Minerva sighed, looking upon her goddaughter curiously again before resuming, "in theory, one would have to stem the flow of the curse in the bearer's blood. But, the curse and the blood are merged as one, so, first, one would have to separate those two subjects, which is a most difficult task."