MAGIANIMA // Hermione Granger

On Thursdays We Wear Quidditch Gear

Care of Magical Creatures was still as dull and depressing as it had been the first time Atlas had arrived, Hagrid still just as sour, thumping around his pumpkin patch, crushing a few that Atlas had to repair as he gesticulated and almost with annoyance explained the proper diets of Diricrawls. The passion was lost in the man and Atlas deemed it a great struggle trying to keep her own enthusiasm when every lesson ended with the man slamming his hut door shut behind him to sulk. Even Buckbeak, whom Hagrid had stuck to calling Witherwings had sauntered off somewhere, leaving Atlas alone. 

In the beginning, Atlas felt sorry for him, the blow of losing three of his four favourite students who had still yet to come and visit him no doubt stung and Hagrid was naturally quite the soft soul who took everything to heart.

But honestly, enough was enough, Atlas hadn't received any homework at all, she usually wouldn't complain considering all the essays and books she already had to read but at least she'd be taking something away from these lessons aside from Hagrid's frankly contagious depression. She'd snapped at Hermione just the other day when the girl had asked her a question about Ancient Runes and had felt so terrible she was half tempted to break another wizarding law and brew her a Liquid Luck on the spot without her Potion Master License. Hermione had been amicable about it and actually set her homework aside to cheer Atlas up but it was stupid, Hagrid's sourness towards the three was causing a stupid amount of resentment to build in Atlas.

It was halfway through a lecture on Golden Snidget's, which was more a textbook monologue than anything, when Atlas threw her notepad down and began to walk away, of course, this gave Hagrid pause and the man frowned as he called out and followed after her.

"Where are yeh goin'?" Hagrid said.

"I'm dropping the elective," Atlas snapped, grabbing her cloak. Not even seeing Buckbeak every day was enough to convince her to stay at this point if things kept up. "If you're not going to actually teach me anything I might as well use this slot to do homework."

"But yeh can't!" Hagrid seemed to panic, genuine terror seizing his heart.

"Then get over yourself!" Atlas very well knew talking to any other professor like this would result in several weekends of detention but this was Hagrid, timid Hagrid who wrang his hands together nervously, face dripping with regret. "I'm sorry the others didn't choose the class and I'm sorry I'm the only one that did but Merlin's beard, Hagrid! I haven't learnt anything!"

"I'm sorry...I..." The man closed his mouth, swallowing as he licked his lips and sought something to say and then suddenly, he burst out into tears, startling Atlas so fiercely she took a very large step back. "I've bin a bit...distant but it ain't jus' because the others ain't 'ere - Aragog is dyin', he's bin sick lately an'...an' I don' know what ter do...!"

"Oh Hagrid, I'm sorry," Atlas conceded, nodding briefly, she managed to bring herself to pat the man's back, staring at him sympathetically. "Is there...anything I can do?"

"I don' think there is, Las," Hagrid blubbered, attempting to stem the flood of his tears. "See, the rest o' the tribe...Aragog's family...they're gettin' a bit funny now he's ill...bit restive..."

"They're territorial things by nature," Atlas reasoned and watched as Hagrid blew his nose into his handkerchief that looked more like a tea towel. "I'll make sure to steer clear of the colony..."

"I reckon tha's for the best," Hagrid said and nodded tearily. Atlas comforted him a bit more, standing in silence for a while as the man collected himself. "I have...I have a nest've Golden Snidgets..." he said through a great big sniffle a moment later, looking red-eyed and puffy-faced.