The barn and pastures was not a place that Minjae would step foot in to on a normal basis. Yet he was entering the pasture with the winged horses inside while holding a bucket of food against his chest.

The Hufflepuff was frustrated and scared. Not just for himself because he was Muggleborn but also for the other students. It had been clear during the feast that that lunatic had meant business and that he was not going to stop just because a couple of teenagers were giving him trouble.

He hated that people around him were getting hurt , tortured in class and he could do nothing but standby and watch.

He violently kicked at a loose pebble but missed it and his leg swung up, the mud under his shoes flying in the air. He let out a sigh of frustration as he walked over to the fence and placed the bucket of food beside him while he leaned his back against the fence as he thought about that his little brother was going to start at Hogwarts next year.

That lunatic and his goons needed to be gone before that time came because he was not sending his little brother to Hogwarts like this.

Wow. This sucked.

First couple days of seventh year were already dreadful and it wasn’t even the academics that were driving his mood. Monsters of people had come and were torturing children. Torturing children!! Who does that?? In what world is that acceptable? Noah wished to yell out loud to the universe in frustration or throw his hands up in the air or something to relieve the stress that made him feel sick to his stomach.

He took a walk. Air would be good. Breathing would be good.

He ultimately found himself near the Barns and Pastures. Maybe he could confide to a Kneazle about his feelings or just distract himself with a visit to some creatures for now? Yes, that would be a good distraction.

As he walked past the winged horse pasture, he found Minjae there with a bucket of food. “Hey! Minjae!” he called out, offering what he could muster for energy to provide a small smile. He was glad to see that Minjae was still in one piece. It was good to see a friend right now especially one who was in the same boat as him over family heritage. “How’re you holding up?”

It was a funny feeling when he thought about how worried he had been for his NEWT exams. It had only been a few days since everything had changed for the worse but the thought about his exams seemed like a lifetime ago.

He watched the winged horses in the distance, hoping that they would come to him because he wasn't feeling walking towards him. Actually, he wanted to stay here for as long as he could. The more away he was from the castle the better ....but he had classes to go to and with the new Headmaster, he did not dare to skip any class.

Upon hearing his name, Minjae looked up and when he saw the owner of the voice his face lit up with joy. Apart from seeing his friend in classes he had not had the time to actually talk to him yet. "Oh i'm good!' he said like his cheerful self but even as he said it he saw that his vision was getting blurry.

He blinked his eyes rapidly to not let the tears fall and pretended to be looking at the winged horses in the back of the pasture and pointed at them "Where do you think Professor Williamson got them from?" he asked.

Seeing the other boy's face light up only made Noah smile more. Wait a minute. The Gryffindor blinked several times, watching his friend rapidly blink as well. Was he....? Was he [i]crying[i] or had he just gotten something in his eye? He took a few steps towards his Hufflepuff mate and gently nudged him. "Yeah?" he asked before joining his mate, looking at the winged horses in front of them. He was about to ask another question on how his mate was doing. He wondered if Minjae had to put on a brave face too in front of the younger years. It was odd being some of the eldest students in school and not knowing how to react or what to do to stop this from happening. This all very much felt like life or death..... He blinked a couple times before clearing his throat and looking at the creatures in front of them. "Maybe struck a deal with the Beauxbatons COMC Professor?" he said with a silly teasing smile. "Or maybe he befriended them?" He could def picture triple W as a big softie on the inside. Def so. "Where do you think he got them from?"

He placed a hand in his front trouser's pocket as he watched the winged horses and sighed. "And to think a few weeks back, we were concerned that we'd have no time to game and NEWTS would be the biggest challenge... World's gone mad..."

That simple ‘yeah?’ and the gentle nudge was enough to break him. Mind you, he didn’t break down sobbing but there was a single tear running over his cheek and he quickly wiped it away because he was both embarrassed and frustrated. ”No…” he said as he bit his lower lip and looked anywhere but at his friend. ”I’m scared” he admitted. ”I’m really scared” Not just for himself but for his family and the staff who worked at his home as well who were all muggles.

And then he thought about that Noah was Muggleborn as well. That he too must be extremely worried. ”And angry too . Every time i see one of those big goons in those stupid hoods i just want to” he punched the air to make a statement. ”And DON’T even get me started on that tyrant !” actually do, because he needed to let out every thought, every feeling he had bubbled up for weeks . ”He deserves a” he punched AND kicked the air now ”with our own “filthy” muggleborn hands” But he knew he could never do those things because every time he was near one of them, he froze in fear.

Taking a deep breath, the Hufflepuff laughed all of a sudden.”I feel so much better now though”

”Maybe….” he trailed off as Noah suggested that the Professor got the winged horses from the Beauxbatons professor. ”I don’t know, maybe he flew after them on broom and catched them with a lasso” he said as he picked up one of the buckets with food. ”Shall we walk over and feed them”? he asked.

NEWTS. Minjae chuckled and nodded his head. ”Yeah, can’t believe i had sleepless nights thinking about those before school started. I mean i still have sleepless nights but i’d rather worry about my exams than …..” he sighed.

”How are you holding up?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his friend raise a hand to his eyes. Noah remained silent, choosing not to bring attention to the tears for a bit. However, his stoic nature (which was all a facade because he too was blinking his eyes rapidly to fight the traitorous tears who was cutting onions near them???) was broken when he heard two worried. I'm scared. Noah swallowed, feeling a lump in his throat. "Me too," he said, almost like a whisper. If this were one of the video games, then they were public enemy #1, or in their case, cult enemy #1 just by their origin.

He turned his gaze to watch his friend punch the air, followed by a swift punch, and kick. Minjae was on a roll and Noah kept nodding his head. Everything that Minjae had said from being angry about the goons in their silly hoods to the tyrant and the punching and kicking well deserved all the nods. In fact, Noah couldn't nod his head quick enough to show that he agreed with everything that his mate had said. Hearing his friend laugh was good. Noah smiled and let out of a sigh relief. He was glad that Minjae was able to get it all out of his system. "Better here than anywhere else. I almost lost it in Defense Against the Dark Arts class twice. I could feel Aboli glaring daggers into the back of my head if I tried to disagree with him. She's right.... If we try to do something publicly, then someone could die. No time to be.." He mimicked quotation marks with his fingers. "Gryffindoring" End Quotation Mark. "Around." He ran a hand through his blonde hair - an unfortunate tick telling whenever he was frustrated with something. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

With a lasso? Noah's eyebrows raised slightly when his imagination went to somewhat of a fantastical re-telling of what Minjae suggested based on a DC comic with a lasso of truth. He scrunched his nose at the image. Yeah... didn't need that image in his head right now... "A lasso... I could see that." To his mate's question, he nodded, placed his right hand in his pocket, and picked up another bucket. "Do you think they're friendly?"

As they walked, Noah also laughed when Minjae mentioned having sleepless nights about NEWTS. Oh yes. It all seemed rather silly now to get worked up over some exams that only defined your future... When you put that next to a life or death situation, exams didn't matter. Survival mattered. "Exams were..." Noah let his voice drop as he thought through what to say. "Exams are finite. This is....undefined?"

How was he holding up? Noah opened his mouth, ready to respond with a classic 'I'm fine' response but he couldn't find the words. He closed his mouth and thought through his answer. Then he pursed his lips, trying to figure out just HOW he felt. When he was ready to answer the question, he shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm still... kicking. Classes are meh?" He couldn't find a better word other than a shrug to describe it. "Um. Horrible... I also have two siblings at Hogwarts now that I need to protect but feel helpless.... Evan's a second year and Maya's a first year." He ran his free hand through his hair once more. "I'm just thankful that Maya's in Slytherin so at least Aboli can keep an eye on her.... Other than family? Things are.... Meh. Kimmie and I broke up. We're friends though so there's that."

Minjae would be lying if he said that he wasn’t glad that he wasn’t the only one who was scared. It was crazy to him how some of the younger students had been able to defy the new orders so easily at first but he knew it wouldn’t take long for the Neo Alliance to get what they wanted. Total submission. And he hated it, he had always been a bit free-spirited but these days he worried that it would get him, and everyone he cared for, killed.

Noah nodding along with his punching and kicking made him feel a bit better though because that meant that he agreed with his sentiment. But when he mentioned Defense Against the Dark Arts, Minjae lost it again. ”And making us blow up the technology lounge?!” it was an understatement to say that the Hufflepuff had been angry.

He had been livid and terrified at the same time and he never knew those two emotions could even go together. ”But Aboli is right, we shouldn’t do anything stupid in front of them” or as they called it ‘gryffindoring around’.


While they walked in the direction of the winged horses, Minjae held his bucket closely to his chest and looked up from the grass when Noah spoke. ”I don’t know”he said as an answer to his question. ”I’ve never even been here before when there wasn’t a class going on, i preferred spending my time in the technology lounge but —“ He gripped the bucket tightly as his fingers started to become white. ”We’ll see if they’re friendly or not, but i do think we still need to be careful. Imagine surviving that stupid cult and instead get killed by trampling hooves” that would be embarrassing.

”Didn’t i meet Evan like two years ago in Diagon Alley?” He asked as he tried to remember if his own brother had been there as well or not. But that didn’t matter now because what he heard next made him look to his side so quickly he almost got a whiplash. Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, Minjae stared at his friend. ”You two broke up? I thought you two were all lovely dovey? Didn’t you want to start an ice-cream business together?” Or was that another couple? He couldn’t remember for sure . At least he had dated for a while, Minjae had only been on a date once with Aboli and well….it had been kind of awkward and they quickly knew that they liked each other as friends.

At least he hoped they were friends….

Dahlia was no stranger to the barn, pasture or the sanctuary. All areas were visited a handful of times before she had spoken with Williamson and gained the permission she had been seeking. Since that day, the eleven year old was here on a nearly daily basis helping tend to any creatures that needed anything at all. Which was pretty much all of them, all the time. This was A-okay with her though. The more they needed, the more time she could spend out here with them... well whenever she didn't have lessons, homework or something/somewhere else to be.

Like today. Today was one of those days where she had been in here for hours. Weekends really were the very best days. One by one, Lia had visited each stall, coop, cubbie and loft (those were much harder to get to!). Some areas were cleaned up, some were given some food or water, others were just given a bit of attention. She liked to think that they all loved her visits as much as she did.

Carefully entering the stall like area that was home to some of the Jarvey's, Lia closed the door tightly and sat herself down on the floor. Now all she had to do... was wait.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

Dahlia was no stranger to the barn, pasture or the sanctuary. All areas were visited a handful of times before she had spoken with Williamson and gained the permission she had been seeking. Since that day, the eleven year old was here on a nearly daily basis helping tend to any creatures that needed anything at all. Which was pretty much all of them, all the time. This was A-okay with her though. The more they needed, the more time she could spend out here with them... well whenever she didn't have lessons, homework or something/somewhere else to be.

Like today. Today was one of those days where she had been in here for hours. Weekends really were the very best days. One by one, Lia had visited each stall, coop, cubbie and loft (those were much harder to get to!). Some areas were cleaned up, some were given some food or water, others were just given a bit of attention. She liked to think that they all loved her visits as much as she did.

Carefully entering the stall like area that was home to some of the Jarvey's, Lia closed the door tightly and sat herself down on the floor. Now all she had to do... was wait.

Cuddling creatures was comforting, and comfort was something that Devin needed all too often these days. Cult takeovers tended to have that effect on one. Devin had been trying to give extra attention to Ferret Bueller when he visited the barn as a sort of extra support to the jarvey who had lost his mum to evil people who were okay with murdering innocent creatures. All Devin had planned for the afternoon was giving the creatures in the barn as much love as he could. In ways that were respectful to them, of course. Not all creatures liked being touched and cuddled. Devin smiled at the younger girl who was already there as he carefully entered the stall where the jarveys lived, taking caution not to let any jarveys escape or accidentally tread on any of them. ”Hey Dahlia.” He took a seat on the ground facing her and put an arm out in front of him to see if any of the jarveys would come to him for attention.

It was a bit of a trek, coming all the way down here, which would have made it inconvenient if there was anything else that Nemesis actually wanted to do. Even this wasn't exactly a want - though it had been a spur of the moment decision based on impulse, and so might have counted if it didn't lack a more crucial element - it was just a thing. A thing to fill the soul-crushing ennui, which was still a bit of an obstacle. Increasingly so, actually, despite everything.

Be-hatted, be-gloved, and be-jacketed, Nem entered the barn and took quick stock of the situation inside. A couple of kids present, over in the jarvey area, no big deal. Inside the barn was warmer than the outside, but Nem did not shed any of their winterwear as they crossed to a particular section of stalls.

They didn't bother getting their hopes up before stopping and peering inside the first one. Nothing. Heard, just about, but not seen. Not a single thestral in sight. Empty. Relatable. Well, whatever. As they were there, Nem folded their arms on the stable door, rested their chin on them, and stared inside the stall at where the thestrals may or may not have been staring back.

How long Dahlia had been sitting on the floor of the Jarvey enclosure was currently unknown. Minutes, hours, she had no clue. All she knew was that one second she was just sitting there waiting and the next, Pretzel was climbing all over her lap. "Well, hello there," she giggled, immediately giving the Jarvey all the attention that she could want in the form of pets, cuddles and quiet chatter.

This had gone on for a little while. Pretzel leaving her and than coming back. Sometimes another Jarvey would come over to play before running off. It was entertaining. Definitely what she had needed.

Hearing the door to the enclosure open and a friendly face seen, Lia smiled. "Hey, Devin. Get tired of being inside?" Or was he also a helped of Williamson's and was here to tend to some of the creatures as well?

It was only by chance that the first year happened to catch a glimpse of someone else (Nemesis) near the Thestral enclosure. Seeing them from only the back, she couldn't tell who they were so no actually greeting was given. However she did rise to her feet and walk over towards the enclosure door that she was inside of and peered across the barn at them. "Can you see them?" Dahlia asked softly but hopefully loud enough to be heard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

How long Dahlia had been sitting on the floor of the Jarvey enclosure was currently unknown. Minutes, hours, she had no clue. All she knew was that one second she was just sitting there waiting and the next, Pretzel was climbing all over her lap. "Well, hello there," she giggled, immediately giving the Jarvey all the attention that she could want in the form of pets, cuddles and quiet chatter.

This had gone on for a little while. Pretzel leaving her and than coming back. Sometimes another Jarvey would come over to play before running off. It was entertaining. Definitely what she had needed.

Hearing the door to the enclosure open and a friendly face seen, Lia smiled. "Hey, Devin. Get tired of being inside?" Or was he also a helped of Williamson's and was here to tend to some of the creatures as well?

It was only by chance that the first year happened to catch a glimpse of someone else (Nemesis) near the Thestral enclosure. Seeing them from only the back, she couldn't tell who they were so no actually greeting was given. However she did rise to her feet and walk over towards the enclosure door that she was inside of and peered across the barn at them. "Can you see them?" Dahlia asked softly but hopefully loud enough to be heard.

Devin smiled back at Dahlia. ”I like taking some time every week to visit the creatures here. It’s nice and relaxing, and I hope they enjoy the attention as much as I love giving it to them. What about you?” He gave Ferret Bueller a friendly pat as the young jarvey approached him.

Curiously, Devin stood up and followed Dahlia to see what she was looking at. Nothing… as far as he could see. The signage for that particular stall revealed otherwise though. ”The thestrals? No. Can you?” Fortunately he had never witnessed a death, and he hoped to keep it that way for the foreseeable future. He’d much rather that his muggleborn classmates survive the year. He noticed the older kid who was over there by the thestrals, and wondered if they could see them. How sad it would be to have witnessed death at this age.

Still staring into the stall, trying to place or at least imagine one of the creatures' exact location, Nem nevertheless kept an ear out. They didn't entirely believe a couple of students that young might be up to anything... resistant, but would have been remiss to completely dismiss the idea and not stay alert. Maybe the younger kids would be most likely to let them in on something, if they did know.

Right as Nem started to consider just whatever-ing it, and heading into the stall to interact with that which they could not see, the register of the voices changed, and they looked back over their shoulder at the kids. They considered both of the kids carefully for a moment, before giving an evasive reply to the question which may or may not have been directed at them.

Just diricawl things.

"Seems like only a matter of time for most kids, doesn't it? This year, I mean. 'Til they can see them." If they paid close attention, the kids could pick up on the defeated vibes. Sad times, sad times. Et cetera.

Oh, he came here weekly? Dahlia made a mental note to keep an eye out for him in that case. "They do. If they didn't like it, they'd let you know." With so many creatures in the barns and in the sanctuary she knew how important it was to come here and help out anyway that she could. "I'm here all the time." Daily. Or as close to daily as she could get. "I love being around them all. There's a comfort to being in here."

Dahlia hadn't expected Devin to get up and follow her but she gave him a gentle smile and a nod of her head. The question also hadn't been meant for him but that fact that he had answered her was appreciative. "No, I can't. Maybe someday a very long time from now." As much as she wanted to be able to see them so that she could interact with them more easily, she wasn't at all ready for the conditions that would able her to do so.

Dahlia still couldn't determine who the older student was, not even when they looked over their shoulder at her and Devin. Maybe it was the distance in which they were standing in the barn or the hat on their head. Not that it even mattered really. What did matter was what they had said. It sent a cold shiver straight down her spine and made her almost regret even asking what she had. The answer hadn't even been specific as to whether or not they could see the Threstals. Yet... it made her sad. Very sad.

Without thinking, Lia took a small step closer to Devin, seeking a silent comfort from the fact that those words could very possibly be true. There was a deep threat hanging over all of them this year. "I- well I hope that doesn't happen." It was spoken in a near whisper.

This...this did not look like the exit. They had been running as hard as they could and had come to what looked like a barn up ahead. It wasn't the exit...but maybe...maybe it could be a good place to hide.

They could hear animals on the inside and could more or less figure it was a barn.

On they walked, approaching the barn.

Kale hadn't resisted, so Ivy quickly pulled him in the direction of the creature sanctuary, forcing herself to ignore the scream from another student, focusing only on keeping a hold of the Gryffindor's hand and keeping the Muggles away from the creatures. She could not let any more of them get hurt. She couldn't.

Don't think. Don't think. Don't. Think.

But with everything that had happened...she also could not think of the actual incantation of the spell. "Kale, what was the spell?" She hated the tremble still in her voice, but hopefully...hopefully he remembered. He also probably needed something to think about besides...the incident that had just happened.

But she needed to do something to keep these ones away from the barn in the meantime. "Don- Don't go that way!" she called to them. Her wand was in her other hand, so she pointed her wand at the entrance of the barn and cast, "Contego!" Hopefully, if it had worked, it blocked them from getting in for at least a little bit.

Eden sprinted across the grounds like she had every morning for months now and didn't stop until she saw a confused group of grown-ups. Muggles, like she used to be. Ripped from their entire muggle lives just like she'd been.

There was another student already there. Eden didn't look too long - her eyes were red-rimmed from crying almost all the way there.

Not knowing much magic, Eden ran over to the muggles. She was only 4'8" and skinny to boot. Hopefully they would listen to her without running away in fear. "THE BARN ISN'T SAFE!!!"

Well that wasn't reassuring. Eden didn't KNOW what they could do to help. She could take them to the gate with the boars, but could they leave? She didn't want any of them to get hurt. She didn't remember Rosier's spell, either.

Minjae might not be the tallest in the school some fifth years were even taller than him but he was a pretty fast runner. And spurt on by adrenaline and fear made the seventh year even faster. His wand was in his hand as he ran, trying to locate the muggles before they got in to danger. He didn't care about them "finding out about Hogwarts" he cared about their safety especially after witnessing Rosier killing one of them in cold blood.

He didn't think he could ever forget the image of the poor muggle , someone's husband, brother , child , A man with a FAMILY dropping to the ground , his lifeless eyes staring in their direction. He already had sleepless nights and now he was sure that nightmares were added to the list well.

The young man stopped running for a moment to catch his breath, he held his side as he panted and looked around him. Where were those bloody muggles even at?! And then he heard voices near the barn. While he ran, his Hufflepuff scarf slowly unwrapped itself around his neck and eventually it fell on the ground behind him but he didn't stop to pick it up. He'd find it later. "EDEN!" he shouted as he saw the young muggleborn running after the group of muggles and to the barn. It wasn't safe there for her either! If the creatures got spooked.... With a short sprint, Minjae managed to catch up with her. "Would YOU stop if someone was running after you?!" Merlin, he wouldn't.

Seeing Kale poor guy and Ivy nearby, Minjae watched as the girl used one of her spells (he was too far away to hear which one) and he too lifted his wand up and pointed it at the direction of the barn "Repello Muggletum!" come on...please work!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Kale Trent was in complete shock. There were thoughts that flitting around his mind, like agitated pixies, but they were too fast and frenetic to hold onto. He would grab a feeling and it would flee.

It left him feeling hollow and horrified. Dread ate at him, gnawing at whatever part of him was present now, and made it impossible to focus.

He wanted to help Ivy. Heck, he wanted to help everyone. But look what help had done.

So he followed closely behind Ivy, sheepherding Muggles as if on autopilot.

Oh lord there was someone coming. There! Those were some of the children they had briefly seen before they took off at their run. What kind of sick game was this?? Now they were being hunted???

The muggles hurried along, thinking to find shelter in this sturdy structure.

The warnings were likely some clever ruse to get them to go back with them. They would not be recaptured!! Quick as they could, they yanked the door opened and piled inside, the boy's (Minjae's) spell coming a minute too late.

As it were, the muggles were now INSIDE the barn and each time any moved toward the door, they were suddenly reminded of something else they needed to do instead thanks to that nifty charm. It made escape a little difficult. How did they get out of here--oh right, they were escaping. There was the door--didn't they have something to do? It must be urgent. Oh, look, a door--perhaps it was something to do with running.

And so the cycle went on.

Heath chose the creature barn to do the muggle hunting activity for two reasons. This was one of the places at Hogwarts where he felt safest, and he needed that sense of safety now. More importantly, this was where he thought the person he wanted most to protect would go! After running all the way, he leaned against one of the barn walls, panting to catch his breath. He could hear the animal sounds coming from the barn. The creatures’ presence comforted him somewhat, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it.

His dark eyes surveyed his surroundings, assessing the situation. He saw the muggles going inside the barn and took off after them. Unlike some, he wasn’t going to try talking to the muggles. The more he interacted with them, the more emotionally invested he’d become, and he couldn’t allow that now! Eyes darting in search of any muggles poking around nearby, he raised his wand, channeling all the force he could muster. Please stay away, muggles! All of us could die if you don’t! “Repello Muggletum,” he cast, his tone quiet yet forceful.

Claudine wasn’t surprised when she found herself at the Barn and Pastures. In her mind, she figured that she needed to protect the creatures. After all, humans were afraid of what they didn’t understand. There were other students there already and there was one person whom she was relieved to see - Heath. She sidled up beside him. “Hey.’’ Claudine was whispering because it felt better to. Claudine quickly gazed over Heath’s face to get an idea of how he was coping. Yet, even before she did that, the Slytherin already knew. “It’ll be okay.’’

The Snakette’s attention then turned to the Muggles. She didn’t want them wandering over to any creature and causing chaos. “Repello Muggletum.’’ Wand raised still, Claudine eyed the Muggle group. They’d better be on their best behaviour. Of course, it all depended on how well the spells worked.

There was only silence from Kale, which either meant he also didn't remember the spell or...

At least he was sticking close. Ivy squeezed his hand, a small attempt at reassurance.

And then Eden had arrived to urge the group of Muggles not to go in, and then Minjae had as well, and even cast a spell - THE spell. That was it. Repello Muggletum. Repello Muggletum. Okay.

Only the group wasn't listening and it seemed neither her spell nor Minjae's had worked, or...or maybe his had? They kept...going back and forth and back and forth to the door. What were they doing? What did everything look like from their perspective?

And then Heath and Claudine had reached them as well. Okay. Okay. She wasn't sure at this point how else to help other than cast the spell too. She raised her wand up again, trying to steady her hand and her voice, and said, "Repello Muggletum," hoping this might somehow get them to leave the barn.

Quinn had stopped crying, but the look that was plastered on his tear-stained face was... far away. All he knew at this moment was move right leg, move left leg, blink, breathe, look at grass and hold Atlas's hand. Hold Atlas's hand. Hold Atlas's alive hand. He was still alive right? He gave the hand a squeeze. Quinn was still alive. Atlas was still alive. The Man wasn't. He was dead on the ground somewhere behind where they were—how long had they been walking for again? Where were they going?

Quinn heard some shouting and slowly raised his head. There were people outside the barn. Eden. That boy... the on who... he said something to the Headmaster, and then... the man... the lesson... the Muggles...

He squeezed Atlas's hand again. "Atlas..." he croaked out. He was still looking at the barn. "Atlas, the Muggles...."