It was now well into the start of the summer term and normally, Atlas would be in the middle of practice, shooting cocky remarks and even greater points in training for the last Quidditch match of the season. Harry would be up somewhere in the sky, Katie and Angelina by her side while Fred and George protected them from those bastard Bludgers. They'd have a new captain and a Keeper too, with Oliver's graduation having come to pass and personally, Atlas hoped the Captain title would go to Angelina.
As for Keeper, well, she'd say Ginny but the girl was built more for a Chaser's position, maybe she could be Keeper, then Ginny could take her spot on the team. That would work, she was fast on a broom, that had been long since established and she had impeccable reaction time. Unless someone else came into the picture, Atlas recalled hearing a few people talking about it at the beginning of the school year, when everyone had thought Interhouse Quidditch was still on. But that didn't matter at the moment, Atlas could ponder on it next year.
Right now, however, she had just been chased down by Minerva after leaving to speak with Professor Sprout halfway through Transfiguration. It was quite a long meeting -- a catch up as to why she had been missing so many of the classes, nothing more, still, she had missed the end of Transfiguration and most of afternoon study and apparently, Minnie had something to say about that.
"Minnie, my dearest godmother, I hope you know getting called out of the lesson was...out of my hands -- I couldn't do anything to --"
"Oh I'm sure you couldn't do anything about it, I'm sure simply going to lesson was just...out of your hands," Minnie scolded but shook her head, seeking to get back on topic. "Nevermind that, you've been summoned to go to the Quidditch field tonight."
"Uh...when?"
"Now. Run along. You mustn't be late."
"Right -- right now?!"
"Did I stutter, Atlas?"
"N-no, Minnie, right away I-I'll be going then!" Atlas nodded, smiling tightly as she dismissed herself and turned to sprint down the hall.
The sky was already darkening by the time she made it to the pitch and she spotted the other champions already waiting on the dark lawn of the stadium, only, it was no longer a pitch, no longer smooth and flat, instead, there were low and long walls of thick green, twisting and winding in every other direction. Like some sort of baby maze. A maze? Was that their final task?
"Hello there, Atlas! Long time no see!" A voice boomed, one Atlas recognised as Ludo. She jogged the rest of the way, climbing over the hedges and coming to a stop in between Harry and Fleur. The Frenchwoman gave her a sweet smile before returning to the front while Harry simply motioned over to what Atlas had just assumed was a budding maze, a quizzical look on his face.
"Er -- yeah, hey Ludo...haven't seen you since Task Two."
"Well, I've been hopping around Hogsemead...you know how it goes. Anyway, what d'you think?" Ludo said happily, gesturing to the growth surrounding him. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. It'll be back to normal once the task is over though, mind," Harry seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief while Atlas simply smiled. "Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"
No one spoke for a moment so Atlas opened her mouth to speak --
"A Maze." / "Maze."
Only she was not the only one. She briefly glanced over at Krum, finding his eyes already on hers. However, he was no longer aggressive, instead, he simply looked thoughtful with a lot on his mind, coming up with something to say or do. Whatever it was, Atlas wasn't interested, even after the Second Task and the look of begrudging respect he had sent her, Krum could go and kick rocks. Hopefully, get a broken toe that Poppy couldn't heal.
"That's right!" Ludo cheered, though he only smiled at Atlas. "A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the centre of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."
"We simply 'ave to get through the maze?" Fleur asked.
"There will be obstacles," Ludo informed happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures...then there will be spells that must be broken...all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman grinned at Harry and Atlas. "Then Miss Delacour will enter...then Mr Krum. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending on how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"
"No," Atlas muttered and Harry grumbled his agreement. They both knew of all the creatures Hagrid was likely to provide, and though Atlas adored a number of them, she couldn't imagine they'd be of the lighter variety. They'd probably be creatures of darkness, ones that seemed to hate her where creatures of light loved her. That whole equivalent exchange thing.
"Ah..." Ludo breathed, apparently having heard Atlas's response. He cleared his throat and clapped his hands together. "Very well...if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly..."
Atlas sighed and turned, Harry, hurrying to walk alongside her as they began to wind their way out of the growing maze. Bagman seemed to try and catch up but Fleur took his place, smiling slightly up at Atlas, her mouth opening, as if she were to start speaking, however, somebody tapped her on the shoulder. She turned, expecting to see Bagman but was surprised to see Krum instead, looking as surly as ever.
"Could I haff a vord?"
"Why?"
"I just vant to talk...please."
Atlas stared at him, noticing both Fleur and Harry glancing between them furtively.
"Okay," Atlas agreed.
"I'll come with," Harry rushed, stepping forward. Krum seemed to look him over before simply nodding and walking off into the darkness. Squaring her shoulders, Atlas followed, glaring at the back of Krum's head as she went, a firm frown on her face while Harry remained cautious, eyes darting through the thick green that slowly consumed their surroundings.
And then, when they had, at last, reached a quiet cluster of trees a little ways away from the Beauxbatons horses' paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face them both. He seemed to start with Harry first, gulping when he had seen the stoic and unimpressed look on Atlas's face.
"I vant to know...there is nothing between you and Hermy-own-ninny, correct?"
Atlas scoffed, crossing her arms as she shook her head, gritting her teeth.
"No, nothing. We're friends. She's not my girlfriend and she never has been. It's just that Skeeter woman making things up," Harry defended, looking apparently shocked that this is what Krum had asked to talk with them about so privately.
"Ok," Krum seemed to take that answer with ease, as if he didn't quite believe Harry could have been a candidate in the first place, however, when he turned to Atlas his entire demeanour shifted. "Vot is there between you and Hermy-own-ninny?"
"Friendship," Atlas practically spat, her eyes so narrowed she looked on the brink of exploding.
"Hermy-own-ninny talks about you very often," Krum told and the tightness between her brows faltered, her eyes flashing with just a hint of softness before she remembered just who was in front of her. "And very fondly."
"Sorry to say but most girls talk about me fondly," Atlas smiled, in a way that anybody could tell was meant to be too kind. Too friendly for it to be real, a smile that screamed danger or warning. Apparently, Krum didn't catch the warning, nor any sort of meaning, however, and simply carried on speaking.
"You haff my respect, you saved my life, I see you are capable but..." Atlas glared a little harder as he continued to spout shit she would rather not hear, "can you giff her happiness?"
"...what?"
"I can make her very happy, I can giff her anything she vants, I can protect her and I vill provide for her," Atlas gritted her teeth, bawling her fists as Harry placed his own hand on her shoulder, squeezing it tight to ground her. "I can love her...can you?"
"Atlas, we should just go..." Harry whispered, glaring at Krum and standing a little taller but Atlas did not budge, instead, she crossed her arms and glared at him, dead in the eye.
"...I can."
"Then say you vill."
"What?"
"Say that you vill love and do love her."
"I..." Atlas closed her mouth, her jaw clenching as she no longer looked angered, nor annoyed, only saddened and disappointed, within herself, entirely within herself as the words would only form on her tongue, clogged at the back of her throat and the front of her mind, struggling to fall from her lips. "I can't..."
"I can," Krum said as Atlas stared at her feet, a look of painful confusion on her face. Merlin, why was it so hard to say it? "I love her." Why could he say it so casually? As if it was an everyday declaration? Something he used to express himself time and time again? "And I vill tell her how much I love her. I vill do vat you cannot. Because I love her and I know she vill love me because she vill realise I can do things you cannot. I am better than you."
"...are we done here?" Atlas whispered, looking suddenly very tired. Harry looked at her with clear concern, moving his hand to her back instead, frowning at her in worry while glaring at Krum, the boy looking firm and sure of himself. "Come on, Harry. Let's go back to the Tower, I need to --"
Something moved between the trees, a shadowy figure that got caught just in the corner of the girl's eye, right behind Krum, she reached inside her robe on instinct, pulling out her wand and aiming it over Krum's head. The boy was obviously startled by this but when Atlas scowled and pushed him out of the way, he seemed to realise she was not aiming for him and was instead, pointing at the haggard man hiding behind the tall oak.
Harry was quick to join her side, the two of them stood in front of a fallen Krum, eyes narrowed as the man staggard forward and for a moment, Atlas didn't recognise him, nor did Harry but when he came into the moonlight, Atlas's jaw hung slack. It was Crouch -- Barty Crouch Sr. However, it was clear this Barty Crouch was certainly not the man Percy had described to have been sending him proper and prim letters, no, this Barty looked as if he'd been travelling in the harshest of climates.
He, well, he looked like Sirius, her father, a man on the run from something, dirt bathed and covered in shredded clothes, his hair and moustache in need of a good trim, but that was hardly the most disconcerting part about him, no, that went to his apparent state of mind, the way he was behaving. Mumbling, whispering, muttering and gesticulating to things unseen by Atlas, or Harry and Krum for that matter.
"Mr Crouch," she began, edging forward as Harry and Krum spoke behind her. "Are you all right?"
Suddenly he was lunging for Atlas, the girl letting out a startled cry as the man grabbed a handful of her robes, his horrid breath warm and disgusting against her face as he simply breathed, harshly, erratically, his eyes rolling to the back of his skull momentarily before coming back, still glazed but back. Atlas tried to pry his hands free but he was just too strong, too strong for someone in his state.
"Sir, please let go. We need to get help."
But Crouch had collapsed to the floor, pulling Atlas down with him, the girl's knees sinking into the soft mud below and he showed no chance of moving, not even an inch if it wasn't to collapse even further.
"Dumbledore!" Crouch suddenly gasped. "I need...see...Dumbledore..."
"Okay," Atlas nodded, "if you get up, Mr Crouch, we can go up to the --"
"I've done...stupid...thing..." Mr Crouch breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spit was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke was harsh, as if something was stopping him, something that wasn't himself. "Must...tell...Dumbledore..."
"Get up, Mr Crouch," Harry said loudly this time. "Get up, we'll take you to Dumbledore!"
Mr Crouch's eyes rolled forward onto Atlas.
"Who...you?" he whispered. It was like he'd lost his sense of self, as if he'd been hit with one too many bludgers, he was dazed, looking lost and disorientated, it fleetingly reminded Atlas of the look Harry had on his face after a lesson of throwing off the Imperius Curse with Moody, her eyes went slightly wider.
"He's been imperiused."
"How can you tell?"
"He looks like you did...when we were being taught to throw the curse off."
"Who...are you?" Crouch reiterated, a little harsher this time.
"I'm a student at the school," Atlas said, "And so's he," she added, pointing to Harry over her shoulder.
"You're not...his?" Crouch whispered, his mouth sagging.
"No," Atlas assured, without the faintest idea what Crouch was talking about but she figured she needed the man to feel safe first before she asked him any questions.
"Dumbledore's?"
"That's right," Harry nodded.
Crouch was pulling Atlas closer as he asked this and by this point, Atlas had given up her fight, simply staring at the man as he fought over his own mind, trying to say something, anything and, really, Atlas found herself pitying the man. Barty Crouch Sr, the man who put her father behind bars without trial. She felt sorry for him.
"Warn...Dumbledore..."
"Harry, get Dumbledore," Atlas ordered and caught how the boy nodded in her peripheral, running off and past Krum who had still not pulled himself up from the floor. "We're getting him, Mr Crouch, just hold on...continue fighting it."
But, he simply let go, standing up and walking over to a tree, leaving Atlas in the dirt to stare up at him in confusion, she got up also, walking over to him with a quirked brow.
"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly, we are attending a concert tonight with Mr and Mrs Fudge," His wife? Son? What was he on about now? And Weatherby? Wasn't that what he called Percy? "Yes, my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.s, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic, I think I will have time to draft a response..."
Atlas moved backwards quietly, intent on grabbing Krum, but her movement seemed to trigger another abrupt change in Mr Crouch, who seized her hard around the arm and pulled her back over to the tree.
"Don't...leave...me!" he whispered, his eyes bulging again. "I...escaped...must warn...must tell...see Dumbledore...my fault...all my fault...Bertha...dead...all my fault...my son...my fault...tell Dumbledore...Harry Potter...the Dark Lord...stronger...Harry Potter...she's back...he's back...their back!"
"Mr Crouch! Get it together, please, Dumbledore is coming. He's coming," Atlas eased, placing her own hand around the one clasped around her burned arm, trying to ease the man's grip, feeling how he dug his long and grimy fingernails into her skin through her thin jumper.
"He's here! He's here!"
Over Crouch's rambling's Atlas didn't notice the shadowy figure approaching them, raising their wand to Krum's back and dispelling a hearty 'stupefy' from their mouth. It was drowned out by the noises of the night, the noises of Crouch and Atlas's own thundering heartbeat as she realised she was no longer alone after feeling the thud of Krum's body through the vibrations of the floor.
She spun around with her wand raised only to feel a swift and solid object collide with the side of her face, like a rock of some sorts, completely physical with no magic involved, something personal. She smacked her head against a tree on her way to the floor, blurring her vision instantly and with the darkness surrounding her, there was no hope in catching the face of her attacker.
But she tried, rummaging through the fallen leaves that littered the floor for her wand, moving over to where the hum she knew belonged to it sang the loudest until her fingers brushed against the calming grip she always took comfort in. She tried to sit up, feeling some sticky liquid pouring down the side of her head, seeping into her mouth where iron overtook her senses.
Gold fought against brown as she tried to shift her eyes, tried to see through the night, to catch even a glimpse of who this attacker might be to no avail, she whined, pushing herself to her knees and fighting the nausea that flooded her stomach. Fuck. Crouch was gone, her and Krum's attacker with him and she could hear other footsteps approaching. She spun around as quickly as she could without hurling, her wand raised at whatever attacker had approached her only to find herself staring up at a bright light, the silhouette of who she assumed was Dumbledore behind it.
The light was cast to the sky, illuminating the entire scene.
"Atlas!" Harry crouched in front of her, coming so close his face was no longer blurry. "Holy shit, Atlas! Can you see me? Atlas!?"
"Stop...shouting," She managed, groaning as she fell forward and into his shoulder.
"Dumbledore. Dumbledore, she needs Madam Pomfrey."
"Hagrid will be here soon, Harry," Dumbledore seemed to assure and Atlas looked over at him the two of them staring at each other silently, or at least, that was what Atlas was trying to do, she couldn't tell if Dumbledore shared that sentiment but remained to stare at him nonetheless.
Then, not even a minute later, the sound of thunderous footfalls reached them and a large hulking figure Atlas assumed to be Hagrid had joined the scene, a large frame by his side that Atlas recognised as Fang by his smell alone.
"Professor Dumbledore!" he cried, panting and wheezing, "Harry? Atlas! What the -- !?"
"Hagrid, I need you to take Atlas to Madam Pomfrey and would you fetch Karkaroff as well?" Dumbledore said calmly, "His student has been attacked. When you've done that, kindly alert Professor Moody -"
"No need, Dumbledore," said a wheezy growl that froze Atlas's insides, "I'm here. Damn leg," he said furiously. "Would've been here quicker...what's happened? Snape said something about Crouch -- Atlas? What's happened to you?"
"She was bleedin' attacked, Moody. What does it look like?!" Hagrid boomed, moving forward and scooping Atlas up in his arms, careful and gentle-like. Atlas couldn't see his expression all too clearly so she reached up and touched his face, finding that he was concerned, fearful and most notably, crying. "Save yeh strength, now. Yer gonna be jus' fine."
"Hagrid...my head hurts," Atlas whispered, rolling her tongue around the inside of her mouth, still tasting the overwhelming aftertaste of her blood. "I need to...brush my teeth."
"Yeh can do that in the mornin'."
"But...I need to -- to kiss everyone goodnight...I don't want to get blood on Kalo and Little Robin's feathers, I suppose -- I suppose it'd blend in with Little Agoniser's scales...but -- but then there's Crookshanks and -- and I don't want to get blood on Hermione's cheek, that's...distasteful."
"Hermione, eh? I'll talk to yeh about that one when Poppy's done with yeh," Hagrid seemed to chuckle lightly at that but soon grew stoic again, pushing into the Entrance hall and turning down the corridor that led to the infirmary.
They were soon inside, disturbing Poppy from where she sat at her desk. She went to make some snappy comment, no doubt going scold Atlas after hearing her quiet 'hey, Pop-Pop' but when she turned and saw the girl, pale as a sheet in Hagrid's arms with blood pooling down the side of her face, she refrained, grew quiet and guided Hagrid over to a vacant bed.
"What happened, Hagrid?"
"She was attacked."
"By who?" Her voice was hard, threatening as she cleared away the blood with a towel soaked in warm water.
"Dumbledore'll be lookin' into tha', lookin' for the bastard now I think as well."
"He...got me from behind...I tried to -- I tried to see his face -- honest -- I really, really tried," Atlas was getting teary now, letting out sharp breaths as she tried to stop herself from crying, "But...I couldn't see."
"Now, now, dear. You're all right now, just let Pop-Pop take care of you."
"I'm always in here, I'm sorry..."
"I suppose you are but there is no need to apologise."
"Doesn't it get annoying?"
"Annoying? No. Concerning? Yes."
"...I hate waking up in here all the time."
"You always have."