MAGIANIMA // Hermione Granger

Something Frui-Tea

It was cold out, the bitter morning breeze kissing her cheeks as Atlas lay on her broom, her Muggle tech clutched to her chest as music flooded her brain, Hermione's gift, the mixtape sang unwavering in her ears as she stared up at the clouds, blinking slowly, trapped in some odd daze as she imagined the notes in the sky and thought thoughts that had no real value or need, just random things, like how Unicorns probably get pissed when twigs get stuck in their immaculate manes, or how Bella was probably riding a dragon somewhere in Romania after departing a few days before the term started - she'd left a note and promised weekly letters.

The wood of the broom dug awkwardly into her back and she sighed, shuffling slightly to reorientate herself before returning to her daydreaming - she'd woken extra early that day to get breakfast when it was hot, or rather, she hadn't actually slept, her entire being perfectly attune to Hermione's every shuffle in her sleep, every odd sigh. Each one made Atlas flinch, fresh colour in her cheeks as she pondered the night before. She could still feel Hermione's fingers on her back.

With a groan she rolled over, her eyes squinting first before widening as she narrowly caught a Quaffle flying towards her. She let out a loud grunt as it impacted her side, almost catching the fragile muggle music box in her lap as it collided, it spun in her grasp as she whirled it between her fingers, throwing it back to Ginny who was grinning as she met her in the sky.

"Atlas, what are you doing out here?" She smiled, settling on her broom, Atlas's old Nimbus 2001 she had gifted her the year prior.

"Could ask you the same," Atlas retorted, as they began passing the Quaffle back and forth.

"I'm practising for tryouts," Ginny said with a shrug, she focussed back on Atlas and mock gasped, throwing the Quaffle back at the older girl as she covered her mouth with both hands. "Wait! No way, is Atlas Magianima Black practising too?"

"No," Atlas huffed and tossed it back.

"Right, the idea is ludicrous, as if you need to practise anything," Ginny said haughtily and zipped around Atlas idly with a beaming smile, "so why are you here?"

"Just...thinking," Atlas muttered.

"Don't do that, you might implode," Ginny said cheekily, doing a few spins with the Quaffle.

"Hermione was acting strange," Atlas said and that caused the redhead to halt, the ball almost slipping through her fingers as she leant forward on her broom, elbows on the wood and hands propping up her face. "She...she was...I don't know, I think it was flirting but like not the words but how she said them?"

"Shocker."

"And it's not just that, I couldn't sleep last night because I kept reading into like, everything that happened at the Burrow...even like on the train," Atlas continued, running a hand through her hair. "I feel like I'm going insane."

"How come?" Ginny asked, hugging the Quaffle to her stomach as she sat upright.

"Because she can't like like me right?" Atlas said, looking at Ginny hesitantly only to find the girl blankly staring at her.

"Atlas, you..." Ginny let out a breath, muttering something under her breath that seemed suspiciously Russian, it caught Atlas so off guard she didn't even attempt to translate it with what little Russian she knew. "Why wouldn't she? I mean, realistically there are loads of people who like you, so like...it's not impossible."

"But..." Atlas bit her lip, drumming her fingers on her thighs as she thought. "They don't actually like me thought, like, it's flattering, you know? I know I'm sought after?" she said, wincing as she tried to put her feelings into words, "but like I feel like they can't actually like me 'cause they don't actually know me."