Atlas Malfoy and how history repeats itself

Part 48

"Godric's hollow?" I scoff as Hermione and I link hands. She is holding Harry's hand on the other side and she says, "Yes, Atti, now breathe slowly."

We apparate into a street in Godric's Hollow. The snow crunches under my feet and I shiver a little bit. Hermione hands me a jumper, and I slip into it. My walking stick is going to get wrecked if it doesn't have a rest soon. We begin to walk, slowly in no particular direction. There is loud singing in a pub we walk passed, and Hermione says, "We should have used Polyjuice potion."
I was forced to make my hair short and black for this, and make my nose a little bigger. Harry shakes his head and says, "I was born here. I'm not coming back as a different person."

We take only a few steps ahead when Hermione gasps, "I think it's christmas eve!"
I look over to my left and sigh. It's a graveyard. Harry whispers something about his parents, and I hang back, looking at some of the other grave stones. I don't feel comfortable, and kind of like I'm not welcome. It isn't long before I see Harry stood at a gravestone. I walk over and slip my hand into his. It's his parents. I say, "They would be so proud of you right now, Harry."
"I know they would." He says, his voice wavering a bit. Hermione kneels down, putting a reef. I pull the flower that I had been wearing in my hair out, and rest it on the floor next to the reef. By complete coincidence, it is a lily. We stand for a while, just staring. Harry sighs as Hermione hisses, "Harry... there is someone watching us."
I turn to follow her gaze, and she a short woman watching. Hermione and I follow Harry, who is absolutely set on following the woman. Harry suddenly stops, walking to the gate of a home. It is his home from a baby. The roof is blown out, and I hold out my wand to it. I whisper, "Orchideous."

A little bouquet of flowers emerges from my wand and I place them down. Hermione gasps and grabs my arm, pushing me to look over at the path ahead of us. It was the woman who had been watching me. I cling to Hermione's arm as we walk after her and Harry. Hermione pulls me into the house she walked us to, and I stand close to her. It is dark, and looks abandoned if not for the photos of a boy. Harry is talking in Parsletongue and Hermione and I wait as he walks upstairs with her. I groan as Hermione says, "Atti, get your wand out. I don't like this one bit."
She doesn't have to tell me twice. I flex my hand and roll my shoulders back. Hermione takes my walking stick and slips it in her bag. I need my hands free to make sure my wand is being used right in this situation.

Hermione and I walk up the stairs slowly and as quietly as we can. I creak open the door and scream as I see a snake- The Dark Lord's snake. Hermione drags me over to Harry as he is thrown through a wall into a nursery. He manages to jump over to the bed near us, and we duck underneath it. When we don't hear anything, we take a step up. Nagini lunges at us and Hermione apparates, while screaming the whole time.

The next morning, I sit with her and we read. I'm reading Regulus's diary, and she is reading a fat book with some swirly writing on the front. She sighs as Harry comes out the tent, and he says, "You've really outdone yourself Hermione."
I hear her sigh again a little and she says, "I came here once with mum and dad. It's just how I remember it. The trees, the river. But it's not the same... is it?"
Harry nods and says, "Hermione?"
She looks up at him and he says, "Who was the boy in the photo?"
"His name was Gellert Grindelwald."
"He's the thief I saw in the wand shop. Speaking of my wand," Harry says, "Where is my wand?"
I pull mine out as Hermione holds out Harry's wand. What was Harry's wand. It's snapped in two. Harry nods and says, "It's fine. I'll take the locket, you give me your wand."
Hermione hands it over and we watch as he disappears into the forest.

I flick open the book and Hermione says, "Atti? Will you be okay if we see your family?"
"If you can make them believe you kidnapped me, which they already do." I shrug and rest my head against the tree. She nods and says, "What is it like... the Cruciatus curse?"
"Awful," I say, "Awful. Really just awful. It feels like your whole body is going to be ripped apart, and then it's awful once you are let off it. Once it stops, and all you can hear is your own breathing, even if people are talking to you. It is like you've been stabbed and immediately healed, except you are all hot and scared. I felt like my hair was plastered to my face, and like all my energy had gone. I was shaky, and obviously my leg was agonising."
"I'm so sorry Atti." Hermione says, holding my hand. We sit, talking and reading until it gets dark, where there is a rustle in the forest.

I stand up, holding my wand outstretched. Hermione stands behind me and I say, "Who is it? I- I'll attack. Show yourself."
Harry steps out of the forest, shaking and wet. Hermione audibly scoffs and Harry splutters, "I bring gifts!"
Ron steps out from behind him and Hermione slips round me, fuming. Ron mumbles, "Hey."
"HEY?" Hermione screams, storming up to him, "HEY? YOU WALK OUT ON US, AND THEN AFTER BEING GONE FOR WEEKS, YOU SAY HEY? HOW DARE YOU RONALD WEASLEY. YOU- COMPLETE- IDIOT. WHERE'S MY WAND HARRY?"
Hermione spins back round, shoving me to the side. I don't take it personally, and so I head into the tent. Hermione follows me in and says, "I hate him sometimes."
"Hermione?" Harry calls. She screams as she steps out again. I follow her out, where Ron is explaining how he happened to find us. Hermione has her arms crossed, glaring at Ron. He is desperately trying to get her to believe him, and it's kind of cute. And he is holding a broken locket, so I have to give him that. Hermione says about he was wearing the locket when he was saying everything, so I forgive him. I need to forgive him.

I do forgive him. He isn't a bad person. In comparison to Harry, he probably feels awful and ignored. Hermione shoves into the tent and says, "I want to go and see Xenophilius Lovegood."
"Mr Lovegood?" I groan, "Look, Hermione, he is a great guy, but Xenophilius isn't known for being very... normal."
"Look," Hermione says, showing me a page of her book, "here. This mark keeps showing up, and I have a good feeling that Xenophilius will know what this means."
I can't catch a break.