Atria imagined that it would be nice to be a teacher, she had to say she loved the power as she watched her father nervously scribble on a piece of parchment.
"Done," he said, before holding out the piece of parchment for her to take.
She took it from his hands,"I will decide that," She said before reading over her father's letter to Harry.
She shook her head, "I would grovel a little bit more," she said handing it back to him.
He let out a frustrated huff as he rocked the chair back and forward like a bored child, "Why?" He said.
Atria took a moment to pretend to think, "Um maybe because you're a godfather to a boy with dead parents and you haven't spoken to him in months," She said patonzingly, tilting her chin as she held the letter back out to him.
Sirius nodded, letting his chair land back on the ground and nodding, "I'll get onto it," he said taking the letter back from her.
She gave him a toothy smile, "Thank you."
"Can I have some tea?" He asked meekly.
She nodded, "Of course," she said before leaving the sitting room and heading to a kitchen.
Now, if Atria had known what she was about to see honestly she probably would not have gone in there, but alas she did and she was.
As she pushed the door open her feet came to a fast halt as her eyes widened.
Atria knew about the birds and the bees but still didn't understand why they thought it was a good idea to make out in the kitchen like a pair of teenagers.
So yes, It was a comprising position that Remus and Tonks had found themselves in. Dora's eyes shot straight towards Atria from her position lying across the dinner table. And Remus had all but flown across the room trying to distance himself as soon as the door had opened.
"Oh I'm sorry," Atria said nervously "Um… I'll just go," she said before leaving the room letting the door close behind her.
She stood in the hallway, flabbergasted wasn't even the word for it, before she walked pale-faced back into the sitting room.
Sirius remained diligent in his work but perked up to look at her, catching the off look about her.
"What?" Sirius asked
She was confused to be honest maybe missing breakfast had been too much and she had started hallucinating, "Remus and Dora," was all she could manage to say.
Sirius shook his head, confused before asking, "Remus and Dora?"
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth he realised, his eyes widened as he exclaimed, "They weren't-"
She shook her not even wanting to think about that "No!" she exclaimed, "They were just kissing. If I had seen that I would have screamed."
She ran her hand through her hair as she tried to level her breathing. In the kitchen, on the table, that is a place where children ate.
Just then a crack of lightning flashed through the window of the house and a few seconds later the loud sound of thunder followed.
It took a millisecond for her to realise what it meant.
Sirius shot up from his seat, "Go get it, it's time," he said enthusiastically before ushering Atria out the door.
"Are you excited?" He asked as they rushed up the stairs.
"I'm excited," Atria said as she rushed ahead of him before running down the hallway to retrieve the vile.
She run into the room and opened the hidden door, grabbing the small bottle which now contained a blood-red liquid.
Her heart was fluttering, she had one chance to get this right. She didn't know what she would do if after all this time and effort it failed.
She rushed out of the hall to where Sirius was waiting by her bedroom door, "okay go, quickly, quickly," he said as she rushed past him, into her bedroom, "I'll wait right here okay," he said as he breathed anxiously.
"Okay," she said," But don't say anything while I'm in here, Don't Distract me."
He shook his head as an excited smile twitches at his lips, "I won't say anything until I hear something."
She nodded, "Okay"
He nodded and bit his lip, "Well, I'll see you when you come out," he said
She nodded again, "Okay."
He took a deep breath, "Please don't fuck this up."
She tilted her chin, "Language and don't put pressure on me," She said before closing the door.
She walked quickly, opening her window, catching sight of the lightning the cracked across the sky.
It was actually happening.
She took a deep breath in before raising her wand and holding it over her heart, taking another breath before chanting to herself.
"Amato Animo Animato Animagus," And then with a big gulp, she drunk the potion in one foul swallow.
She closed her eyes and for a moment there was nothing. But then, something like fire was felt all over her body, burning her. She stood stone still, she could show no fear, she had to go through with it now, the only liability was her, she had to keep going.
Then her mind came alive.
Orange glowing eyes appeared in her mind, glowing in the darkness as the creatures face and body, started to grow around them. She tried to steady her excited breath.
A black nose with black fur appeared, then silver-grey specs of fur around the pointy black ears.
There were four black legs holding up a slim body covered in black and silver fur, with a tail that had a white tip.
A silver fox.
Her eyes shot open and she mused at the angle. The world looked different now from where she was, it would probably take some getting used to. But then her body started to twinge, it was an odd feeling, actually very uncomfortable. Like her body had been made to fit inside something much smaller, like suffocating in a box.
She went to say something, but something more alike to whine came out
She hushed herself quickly, she didn't want Sirius to come in just yet.
She felt the pads of her feet on the cold wooden floor, as she walked slowly over to the large mirror in her room.
And there she was, she caught her reflection in the mirror and it was exactly the image that had been in her mind before.
Sirius had been right about the fox and she had done it.
She padded back to the door before lifting her paw softly and scratching.
The door opened and she watched in amusement as her father looked at the space above her before finally looking down.
His eyes widened, "YES!" He exclaimed lifting his fists into the air.
He knelt down, his smile wider than the moon before gushing, "hello."
He held out his hand and she pushed her head forward so it landed on the top of her head.
He smiled, letting his hand run over her fur before standing back up suddenly, "I'll be back," he said before rushing off.
And so she waited sitting perfectly still and listening, she could hear everything, her hearing was so acute now it was almost too much to handle. Her ears were twitching with every word, listening to her father ask Remus to come upstairs, and it wasn't long before their now much louder footsteps made their way to the door.
Remus came in to view soon enough, and he was shocked to see a rather well-behaved fox sitting in the doorway," Oh no," he sighed.
"Oh yes," Sirius said nodding along as they both stared down at her.
"I don't know if you knew this but that was my guess," he said turning to Remus
"A fox."
"Yes."
Remus laughed before turning back to Atria, "Well it suits you. But come down, the Weasley's will be home soon," He said before walking back down the stairs.
She nodded her head before coming to the conclusion that she had had enough and attempted her first transformation back to her normal self. She saw herself and then she felt herself shifting and falling back into herself.
"Is it supposed to be that uncomfortable," she said landing on the floor, her breath heaving.
Sirius walked over before sitting down next to her on the floor, "It gets better with every time you try until you don't feel it at all."
Atria nodded," good to know."
Sirius reached his arm across wrapping it around her shoulders, all the while looking at her with his unfaltering smile," I can't believe you did it."
"Well I did so you better start," she said with a smile before he leant down and kissed the top of her head.
"Now we both are Padfoot," He said proudly.
She laughed," I guess we are."
Days later, another letter sat in front of her.
Black and sealed with red wax.
Draco again.
It had just arrived and she had been staring at it like it was to intimidating to open.
"Atria."
She turned to see her father standing in the doorway, "Yeah."
"Can you come downstairs with me?" he asked hesitantly.
She nodded pushing her chair backwards and standing up, "of course."
When they got to the kitchen, it wasn't her normal dinner time audience.
Andromeda, Ted, Dora and Remus stood waiting for her. Sirius sat down at the table gesturing to the seat next to him before picking up the cup of tea that was waiting for him.
"What's this about?" She asked as she took her seat at the table.
They all looked between each other before Remus spoke up," You actually."
She looked around the room, trying not to look too suspicious, "Really. Why?" She asked simply.
Remus looked to Sirius, who looked down at the tea in front of him before pushing it to the side. He leant further forward in his seat, "A few of us," he said as he looked around at the people in the room before looking back at Atria, "have been discussing your upcoming meeting with the Malfoy's."
Atria took a subtle deep breath but kept a calm demeanour as he went on.
"And we have decided, That it's best you not go."
Atria remained still, "But it is best I go," She said calmly.
She heard Dora sigh before looking at her compassionately, "Atria you can't, Not alon-"
"Yes I can," Atria said, not giving in to the heaviness of the situation, "and I will."
They all seemed to collapse a bit as they realised this would not be as simple as telling her what to do.
"I'm telling you," she said calmly, "I have to go."
"Yes, but not alone," Ted said. Atria felt her head begin to ache. How could she make them understand that they couldn't make this situation any more hostile than it already was? They had to play by Lucius' rules to get what they wanted, they couldn't walk all over him, or he would backtrack.
"No," she said sternly, "we can't aggravate him anymore. I go alone, I hear what he has to say, good or bad. If bad I leave, I come back," she said, looking at the unenthused faces around her.
"But what if you can't come back," Andromeda said, making the room still, "what if we're wrong and he's not letting you go," she added, Atria's eyes locked with the older women's.
"He has too," Atria said, before she explained, "it wouldn't make sense for him to do otherwise unless he was sure I wouldn't fight it."
"Atria listen," Andromeda said calmly, stepping forward, "I have a feeling, that this is not as simple as we have been thinking it is, things have changed," she said gravely, "We can't be sure if you leave that you will be safe, and things won't go awry."
"No," Atria said glaring down at the table, standing her ground, "It has to be this."
"I don't want you alone with him, " Sirius said.
"Well if that's what it takes to never have to see him again it is a price I will pay," Atria said angrily, before lifting her head to look at them all.
"That is my decision," she said firmly, not sure how long she could keep her cool and feeling like she was about to burst as her annoyance grew, "and it is decided."
"Atri-"
"We can't ruin this!" She heard herself angrily yelling.
She placed her hand on her head as the ache grew, ignoring the back step everyone took, she breathed in deeply, feeling like the air around her was getting thicker, "I can't… "
She took a deep breath, "This is my shot," she said, "I get one chance or it all blows up."
"And it could," Remus said.
"I know this man," she said confidently, "I do. And yes things are complicated now, all the more reason why he would want me off his chest. He won't take any chances unless he has an ace up his sleeve which he doesn't."
"And you're sure he doesn't?" Andromeda asked.
"Yes. I'm sure."
9 years ago
"Draco."
"Draco."
He heard the small voice of his cousin plead before waking up.
His eyes fluttered open and he lifted a hand to wipe them.
His vision focused to see Atria standing nervously beside the bed in her dressing gown. Her hands where trembling and her her vision glazed over.
Another roll of thunder echoed through the house making her eyes dart nervously to the window.
He lifted the cover up, and she quickly got under.
"It's just thunder," he said as she laid down facing him.
"I know, it's just very loud," she said softly her eyes glued to the window.
He took her small hand in his giving it a tight squeeze, "it will be fine," he said knowing now she wasn't alone she would feel safer.
"Close your eyes," he asked, "I'll stay up for a bit, keep watch."
She looked at him before nodding and letting her eyes fall shut, her grip on his hand tightening anxiously and tightening even more when the next clap of thunder came.
But soon enough she was asleep and when he knew it was safe to do so he too dozed off, and his hand did not leave hers.
The past two years, it was safe to say, had dismantled that part of his life. Gone were the children of yesterday as they grew up into young adults
The heavy rain and the sound of thunder use to calm him because he always knew she would be there.
Even as the fear of thunder left she would always come just as an excuse to stay up with him.
But now as he watched the lighting spread across the sky it was just a reminder.
It had been weeks of waiting for a response and he had sent out another letter hoping that maybe she would read this one.
Draco shook his head. It was less than a week before she was scheduled to be here and he knew that if she got here, it would be too late.
Please follow, favourite and review