In order to preserve the joyful Christmas atmosphere, Atlas made the wise choice to postpone the discussion about Snape for a few more days. The following day unfolded at a leisurely pace, a refreshing departure from the bustling days at Hogwarts. The only thing that kept Atlas occupied was refining his plan regarding Quirrel and reading his book about bowtruckles. As they sat down for breakfast, Atlas's father proposed a walk in the nearby forest while his mother busied herself with preparing dinner.
Atlas found it peculiar that his mother readily agreed, mentioning that the meatloaf would require ample time to cook and that she needed to begin early. It was uncharacteristic of her to voluntarily step away, as she always seemed intent on being present for every significant moment of his life. Furthermore, she typically employed her wand to expedite the cooking process for dishes that demanded more time. Uncertain about their intentions but knowing that they held no ill will, Atlas acquiesced to his father's suggestion.
Thirty minutes later, Atlas and his father ventured through the pristine, snow-covered path that led to the small forest. His father launched into one of his anecdotes, recounting a whimsical tale of him and Atlas's mother gathering mushrooms in the woods. During a momentary lapse in their attention, a mischievous deer devoured their entire mushroom haul. Atlas listened attentively, acknowledging that some of his father's stories carried valuable lessons, although this particular one didn't seem to fit the bill. Nonetheless, it served as a gentle reminder that he wished to express gratitude to his dad for unknowingly providing him with guidance on dating, a sentiment he deemed too embarrassing to voice directly.
"So, Atlas, you've got yourself a girlfriend now," his father blurted out, his tone tinged with a hint of nervousness. Atlas couldn't help but wonder what his father was getting at.
"Yes, she's absolutely amazing. You'll definitely like her," Atlas replied, unaware of his father's true intentions.
"We certainly will. Your mother and I were overjoyed when you shared the news, but to be honest, we were taken by surprise. We didn't expect you to find a girlfriend so soon. You see, there are a few things you should know… things that might sound a bit awkward at first. I don't know how much you're already aware of, but your mom wanted me to... well, address any questions you might have," his dad stumbled over his words, clumsily navigating the topic.
Atlas's eyes widened in shock as he realized that his father was preparing to have "the talk" with him. Suddenly, it made sense why his mother had chosen to stay back at home.
Atlas was really glad that he already knew everything there was to know, or this talk would have been far more awkward.
Atlas took a deep breath and tried to sound so confident that it would end the talk right there. "Don't worry, Dad, I already know everything there is to know."
His father shook his head slightly. "Are you sure? You know, there's more to a relationship than just holding hands and eventually kissing. There are some things... things I hope you wait a bit longer for, but you should definitely be aware of," his father continued, not fully convinced that Atlas was well-informed.
"I know about sex, Dad," Atlas responded, trying to sound more mature than he felt in that moment. While searching for solutions for the falling birthrates, there was nothing he researched more thoroughly than topics regarding reproduction, so he probably understood the topic better than most people, but talking with his dad about it was just awkward.
"Oh, thank god. Your mother told me they don't teach you that in Hogwarts, so I was a bit worried. Do you know about protection too?" His father asked, regaining his composure.
"Yes, Dad, don't worry," answered Atlas, still hoping they could wrap up the conversation.
"What about puberty, morning wood, pubic hair, pregnancy, women's menstruation, masturbat..." his father continued, wanting to ensure Atlas was truly prepared.
"Yes, yes, yes. I know about all that, Dad. So unless you want me to spell everything out for you, we can change the topic," interrupted Atlas, attempting to bring the discussion to a close.
"Okay, glad to hear that. But if you have any questions or need advice, you can always come to me, or if you prefer, you can ask your mother," his father acknowledged, recognizing that Atlas seemed knowledgeable. However, to Atlas's dismay, his father asked one final question.
"So, if you know all that, how far have you really gone with Hermione?"
"Dad, we're only eleven! We've only held hands and kissed a bit, and it will stay that way for a really long time. Don't worry about it," Atlas reassured him.
"I'm glad you see it that way. Your mother told me stories about wizards maturing a bit earlier than normal children, but even then, eleven would be highly unusual. I just wanted to make sure you don't do something you might regret later on and only take that step if you're truly ready for it. I also want to emphasize that you need to be sure your partner, may it be her or anyone else, is ready too and is not doing it out of some misguided sense of responsibility. If you've understood that, we can change the topic if you want," his father replied, with a hint of relief.
Atlas quickly confirmed that he was aware of all that before changing the topic to the presents he got and that they should have taken the camera with them.
---
The next day was the highly anticipated visit to Hermione's house. It was hard to tell who was more excited, Atlas or his parents. They made sure he was dressed in his finest attire, and on the drive over, they bombarded him with questions about Hermione's parents. Unfortunately, since he hadn't met them yet, all he could provide was that they were dentists who loved their daughter. He had a vague notion that they might enjoy skiing, but he wasn't entirely certain if that applied to both of them.
Atlas felt a twinge of annoyance as they approached Hermione's house in his father's car instead of simply apparating there. However, his father insisted that making a good first impression was crucial and that popping up in someone’s front yard wasn’t a particularly good way to get to know someone. Plus, it was more convenient for him to transport his camera, photo album, and the book about Bowtruckles he wanted to share with Hermione.
As they stood in front of the door, accompanied by his parents, Atlas couldn't help but feel a wave of nervousness wash over him. He rang the doorbell, and within moments, he could hear hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. The door swung open, and Hermione practically leaped forward, engulfing him in a warm, tight hug. She quickly released him when she noticed Atlas's parents gazing at her with amusement.
With an air of confidence, Hermione introduced herself to Atlas's parents. Meanwhile, her own parents arrived on the scene. Mr. Granger, still relying on crutches, seemed to be in remarkably high spirits. Hermione's mother, Monica Granger, swiftly introduced herself and warmly invited Atlas's parents inside.
Entering Hermione's house, Atlas's parents exchanged pleasantries with Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and the atmosphere quickly shifted from formal to welcoming. The living room exuded a cozy ambiance, adorned with tasteful decorations and framed family photos. A faint aroma of freshly baked goods wafted from the kitchen, adding to the inviting atmosphere.
As the group settled into the comfortable sofas, Mrs. Granger emerged with a tray of steaming hot cocoa and a plate of homemade cookies. The fragrant scent filled the room, causing everyone's mouths to water. Atlas couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and contentment in this new environment.
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Atlas's father, always the curious one, couldn't contain his interest in the dentistry profession. He enthusiastically asked Mr. Granger about the intricacies of dental care and the latest advancements in the field. Mr. Granger, equally passionate about his work, animatedly shared his experiences and even offered some insightful advice on maintaining good oral hygiene. The others present were just shaking their heads as they saw how Hermione’s dad, Wendell, and Atlas' dad could bond while talking about oral hygiene. Even Hermione’s mother, who was also a dentist, was shaking her head.
Mrs. Granger quickly involved his mother in a talk about the cookies she made and took her to the kitchen, leaving Hermione and Atlas for themselves.
Hermione signaled to Atlas that she would show him the house, and Atlas followed behind her. It was evident that Hermione's parents were well-off, given the spaciousness of the house and the high-quality furnishings that adorned it. The bookshelves lining the walls were packed with a vast array of lexicons, medical texts, and dental literature.
Eventually, Hermione led Atlas to the final room in the house that he hadn't yet seen. Coming to a halt, she turned to him with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "This is the first time I'm inviting someone into my room," she admitted.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, her hand lingering on the doorknob. "Just promise me you won't laugh," she implored, her tone serious. Naturally, Atlas couldn't resist a chuckle at her plea.
"That's what you're worried about? Mione, no matter what lies behind this door, I'll still love you. Well, unless you prepared a dark ritual behind that door to sacrifice me to some kind of demon or something like that," Atlas playfully teased, attempting to lighten the mood. However, Hermione's expression didn't shift, and he realized he may have crossed a line, and that his recent nightmares might have influenced his sense of humor.
"I would never do that," she insisted, slowly opening the door and revealing what lay beyond.
As Atlas stepped into Hermione's room, he couldn't help but notice its unmistakably girlish atmosphere. One wall boasted a vibrant shade of pink, extending to the carpet and even the cozy blanket on her bed. Plush animals adorned her sleeping space, adding a touch of whimsy. A neatly arranged desk sat by the window, showcasing an assortment of writing utensils. On the left side of the room stood two shelves, each holding a treasure trove of books. One collection consisted of Hermione's grade school textbooks, along with a few science volumes. The other shelf, however, overflowed with books from Diagon Alley, a testament to her parents' dedication to her education.
"I don't know what I expected, but it's different, yet strangely as I imagined," Atlas remarked, his eyes scanning the room. His gaze fell upon a framed certificate proudly displaying Hermione's first-place achievement in a mathematics contest next to a calendar with today's date marked with a big heart.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Atlas didn't find her room laughable. In that moment, Atlas realized that Hermione was distinct from him in many ways. Although he noticed that sometimes he behaved more like a kid than he intended and the experiences he had in this world were vastly different from his old ones, leading to both of them being inexperienced, he was still slightly older, at least in terms of maturity. At times, he would forget this fact, as Hermione had a knack for shedding all childlike behavior during their time at Hogwarts. To add to that, all the draining training and studying didn’t leave much room for things like that. Nonetheless, the age gap sometimes became apparent, leading to occasional differences in priorities and perspectives.
Situations like these reminded him why, at the beginning, he didn’t want to have more than a friendship with Hermione. He still didn’t regret accepting her advances, but he was unsure if it was really the sensible choice. While his old parents just wanted him to be happy, his family in this life also wanted him to be responsible, and he began to question if his behavior was really as responsible as he initially thought. While he wanted to save Hermione and let her accompany him through the multiverse, which would actually solve the age problem after a short while, was it really okay to drag an eleven-year-old girl into a battle on a multiverse scale just because he liked her? As the alternative was death, he was inclined to say it was okay, but his recent nightmares showed him that his future was more than just physically challenging, and that was before he had to process the responsibility of billions of deaths.
Hermione snapped Atlas out of his thoughts with a sudden question, her concern evident in her voice. "What do you really think? You don't think it's childish, with all that pink and the plush animals?" she asked, anxiously awaiting his opinion of her room.
"No, Mione, it's perfectly fine," Atlas reassured her, his voice gentle. "We're only eleven, so there's nothing wrong with having plush animals and a pink room. If we want to feel like adults, we can always look at the cold stone walls of Hogwarts."
Her worries eased, Hermione embraced him, planting a soft kiss on his cheek, accompanied by a mischievous grin. "I just realized that I'm dating a younger man. You have to know, I'm already twelve."
Surprised, Atlas's confusion and panic were palpable as he exclaimed, "What? Wait a moment, did I miss your birthday?"
Hermione's grin widened mischievously. "Yes, you did!" she declared playfully. "So, how are you going to make up for it?"
"I'm sorry, Mione. It will never happen again." Atlas apologized sincerely. "But to be fair, we never exchanged our birthdates. However, you can wish for anything you want."
He knew from her grin that for some reason she wasn’t really angry, but Hermione was never one to simply ask for something she wanted if she, for some reason, thought it was embarrassing to voice it out unless she had some kind of leverage, and Atlas from time to time intentionally gave her the leverage she wanted even if he knew he stepped into a "trap."
“Anything?” she asked, not even trying to mask that she wanted to trap him.
"...Almost," Atlas responded, uncertain of what she had in mind this time.
"So, is a sleepover excluded from that "everything"?" Hermione asked, her mischievous smile fading, replaced by a noticeable blush.
Atlas was petrified. Did she mean what he thought she did? Would he have to have that kind of talk twice in the same week? Did she really want him to sleep with her? Even if she was a year older, it changed little. He liked her, even loved her, but that didn’t equal to a sexual attraction… yet.
“You know, Hermione, I really like you, but I really think it is to soon. I hope you aren’t too disappointed but that is a border I’m not yet ready to cross. Can you understand that?” He asked, trying to sound as calm and reasonable as possible while also being firm on his decision. However, his heart raced within his chest, and his blood pulsed audibly in his ears.
As Atlas spoke, Hermione's blush deepened. "That... that... that was not what I meant with a sleepover!" she stammered, attempting to suppress her embarrassment. "I meant it more like a literal sleepover. You know, I've never had one, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity."
Atlas was taken aback by her clarification. "What? Oh my god! Why didn't you say that from the beginning?" He exclaimed, shocked by his mistaken assumption.
"Who ever said anything else?" Hermione retorted, her face still as red as a ripe tomato.
"I'm sorry. I... I..." Atlas struggled to explain his assumption without revealing his true age, sounding like a pervert, or alluding to the sex education talk he had with his father the day before. "So, a sleepover. Sounds great, wonderful even," he quickly redirected the conversation, hoping to change the subject.
She buried her head on his chest, her voice muffled as she muttered that he was an idiot.
They stood there for at least a minute like that, and Atlas patted her back a few times. When they separated, their faces had already returned to a normal color.
Not wanting to dwell on the previous topic, Atlas changed the subject and asked Hermione when her birthday had been. She explained that her birthday had already passed months ago, falling on the 19th of September when they weren't yet together, so he didn’t need to worry about it. Hermione further explained that she had read that birthdays were not celebrated as extensively in the wizarding world, except for the eleventh, seventeenth, and milestone birthdays. She didn't want to stand out too much by insisting on celebrating on that particular day. As they discussed birthdays, Hermione made a note of Atlas's birthday on the 11th of June in her calendar, highlighting it with an even bigger heart than the one for this day.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Atlas. "Won't your parents question your request for a sleepover? If I could misunderstand it, they might as well."
Hermione's demeanor stiffened slightly, but she reassured him that her parents probably wouldn't be against it. However, she added that her father might camp out in front of her door if her mother doesn’t manage to prevent that from happening.
As if on cue, Hermione's parents called them downstairs. Atlas's parents were bidding their goodbyes and inquired about the time they should pick him up. This prompted Hermione and Atlas to quickly voice their request. To Atlas's relief, Hermione took charge of the conversation and asked her parents, primarily her own, if Atlas could sleep over. He could practically feel the meaningful stare from his father, a reminder of their earlier talk, accompanied by a judgmental glare from Hermione's father.
Fortunately, Hermione's mother intervened by discreetly pinching her husband's back, more or less obvious to the others in the room, and declared that, of course, Atlas could sleep over. After Atlas's parents handed him his belongings from the car, an awkward silence settled in the room as they departed.