Atticus sat in the center of the gardens, twirling a flower in his right hand as he looked at the sun begin to rise. It was a new day - a fresh beginning that held so much opportunity. There was so much that could be accomplished in a day and as much as Atticus was a night owl, he took 'carpe diem' to his heart. It was time that he and Winona repaired their very broken friendship and do their best to move forward. She had made an excellent point regarding that we have to 'try it ourselves' to make it work. Clever girl had used his own words against him and it worked. Part of him wanted a reason - any reason - to escape the holes he found himself in when in deep thought. He had spots all over the castle and grounds where he could sit down and think. The benefits of said spots were that he had places where he could decompress and process, while one glaring downside of such spots was that should he find himself unable to solve a problem, he would be in a perpetual feedback loop due to his own persistance and standards for himself. There was no problem that could not be solved through thought and calculation. He truly believed that, to his core.

This situation was entirely different, though. Atticus and Winona had been best friends for three years and neither of them wanted to throw that away. Atticus knew her parents, and vice verse. They were essentially family to each other and perhaps that's what drew him to her initially. Atticus struggled with exposing his emotions and Winona was a safe place where he could do that. That made it all too easy to fall for her - and while there was every reason to do so - beautiful(a half-Veela!), smart, clever, driven, quirky - the biggest reason was that he felt safe with her. She understood him and that was a rare, rare thing.

Atticus, in spite of himself, still went back to the fact that she called him a bully. She was in as much distress as he was though, and he did some pretty stupid and petty stuff in reaction to that situation. Could he reasonably hold that against her? No, of course not. He thought, frowning. All he wanted to do and loved to see was make her smile.

He waited anxiously for Winona, twirling the flower faster as he watched the sun ever so slowly rise.

The morning air was crisp. Elian had gotten her used to waking up early, before the sun, to get in her daily runs. It seemed more peaceful that way. Everything was so quiet and still, as if any loud noise could shatter the silence. Winona breathed quickly, in through her nose and out through her mouth. Her feet gently padded against the dirt trail, her long legs taking her far. The gardens came into view and she stopped, looking at the hedges forming their intricate maze. Her lips twanged, a feeling in her stomach resembling fear.

Did she really want to face Atticus? After she transformed and nearly killed him? With her hands on her hips, she dug her toe into the dirt, thinking. Their was nothing quite like their friendship and the last thing Winnie wanted was it deteriorating. Of course, if there was no possible way for it to work out... Winona bit her lip, shoving the thought of giving up out of her mind. With a sharp inhale, she rolled her eyes, rubbing her face. She was going to have to face him sooner or later, but that feeling in her stomach told her otherwise.

Walking slowly up the small hill to the hedges, she went through the mazed hedges. "Find me Atticus," she whispered, a light leaving the tip of her wand and floating, leading her to an open space where the flowers grew freely and there was Atticus, doing his nervous tick of twirling something in his fingers. "Be gone," she whispered, the light turning into the shape of a flower and then disappearing with a little POP!

"Well, well," she cooed, walking forward.

"Here you are... I didn't think you'd come... even though you sent the invitation," she said, a sad undertone to her words. "I'm glad you showed up..." Her fingers ran through her long ponytail, her fingers entangling themselves.

Atticus gazed intently into the beautiful sunrise, the colors on the horizon leaving him speechless. He had a true appreciate for nature's beauty which is why he kept taking Herbology. While he did well on his O.W.L.S. in the subject he didn't see a real need to continue taking it other than it being useful for supplementary knowledge in Potions. Nonetheless the many mysteries of higher level Herbology captured Atticus' attention early on as a child. There was always more to learn about the natural world.

After a few minutes he saw a ball of light out of the corner of his eye followed by soft footsteps. He turned his head to see Winona come out from the hedge maze and smiled a weak smile. She was always so beautiful to him, his eyes looking her over before he gestured her over to sit down with him. "Of course I showed up." He said matter of factly, his smile strengthening. "I'll always show up." He added reassuringly.

"How have you been?" He asked, concern laced heavily in his voice. "I know how much of a toll the transformation takes on your body" He added, frowning a little as he thought back to the violent transformation he caused. It hurt him that he put her in that place after so many years without an incident. There was a remarkable level of shame and guilt he held in his heart over the matter. He could never change or fix what he caused. He only hoped Winona could truly forgive him.

It was obvious that Winona interrupted something. She could tell Atticus was doing that thing where he just sat there and admired his surroundings. She had a habit of doing it too, and who else to thank for such a habit: but him. The setting was beautiful and the sky was beginning to be stained in beautiful shades of pinks and purples.  She turned her head over her shoulder to see what he was looking at and a small smile passed over her pink lips. "Wow..." she whispered softly. Turning back to Atticus, seeing him smile weakly. Oh no...

"Oh no.. I can't really sit after a run," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "I'll get really bad muscle cramps and it hurts.. a lot!" Winona smiled a half little smile and she sighed. "It's a beautiful sunrise. It's amazing how beautiful a sunrise can be in the summer and so... rare in the winter. Overcasts are terrible in Scotland during the winter." She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder so her fingers would stop fiddling with it.

As he reassured her, a warm feeling came over her. This was the friendship her heart had been missing for a really long time.  "Thank you," she said, barely audible. It felt good to feel like Atticus was on her friendship list again.

The concern in his voice made her smile fall, and she bit both of her lips, sucking them into her mouth. "Atticus.. Don't worry," she said softly. Her hands tried to cover her bruised forearms. The bruises were healing, so they were the colors of paint mixed together, browns and yellow, a twinge of green and purple. "I've been good," she said softly. Winona was never a good liar, so her upper lip twinged some. "The transformation was no biggie..." Another lie. It took a bad toll on her body and she slept for nearly a whole day afterwards. It was one of her worst ones and well-- she didn't want to talk about it.

"What about you?" She asked, her voice quivering slightly. "I.. I hope you're better," she said, the sound of sobs coming. Tears brimmed her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. Calming herself, she began to gently pace back and forth. "I..." She didn't know what she was going to say and yet, she wanted to tell him everything. "I don't know what to say now," she whispered, looking at him as he paced.

Atticus chuckled lightly as Winona began pacing after her run. It made sense that she wouldn't want to immedietely sit down from a biological perspective - cramps sucked and that's how you got cramps. Still, it made Atticus a bit uneasy not to be on her level so after a moment he stretched, yawned and stood up. "Yeah, that's usually how it goes." He said softly, considering sunsets and sunrises and their correlation to the seasons. "I think it has to do with the axis of the earth and where it rises and sets as the compass goes." He said, realizing that it wasn't the right time to discuss the scientific reasons for why the sunrise was so beautiful that morning. Sometimes it's better not to question things and just smile.

"Thank you," she said, barely audible.

Atticus smiled again, weakly. It was a good start to their conversation but he still found himself unable to find his words. Never before had Atticus been so at a loss for what to say or how to say it. He nodded solemnly before redirecting his gaze back at the sunrise. The myriad of purples, yellows, reds, and the rising blue that would be the morning sky awed him. Atticus raised an eyebrow at Winona as he sensed her fib in saying she was good. He knew that she was doing her best to put on a strong front in a delicate situation and he loved her for that. He saw great strength in her, he always had. That's why he had vowed to protect her almost as soon as they met. They instantly clicked and he knew she was someone he wanted to stay around for a long time. It was time to ensure that would come true.

He looked back at her as he heard her voice quiver.  Winona angrily wiped away her tears which brought back that same uncomfortable and sad feeling in his chest that he had the last time they were together. He closed his eyes for a moment before shrugging off his uncomfort the best he could. After a second he stepped towards Winona, put his hand on her arm and squeezed it gently. "I'm as good as I can be right now. Doing my best to distract and refocus." He said, smiling genuinely for the first time. He really had missed Winona. "I put my name in for the fourth task this morning." He added for a surprise. He had been previously uninterested in the Tournement beyong spectating but Hogwarts wasn't doing well and he wasn't about to let the French win. That would be atrocious. He muttered something about the only good things that came out of France were some select philosophers before stepping back from Winona and putting his hands on his hips.

"Now, we might have a shot. Time to prove that my blood is as good as anyone else's... heh." He said, starting the statement as a joke before realizing that he did feel that way, to some degree. Though the pureblood elitist movement was not what it was a decade ago, Atticus did feel as though he had something to prove to the world. The origin of one's magic is irrelevent - it was how he wielded the wand that counted.

The memory faded in Winona's subconscious. Flashbacks came to her often, especially now due to the huge amount of grief in her life. "Well, despite whatever about the Earth's axis and what not... I do prefer the warmer seasons. Spring is my absolute favorite, if I must choose." Winona wrapped her arms around her and stopped her pacing, looking at the sun rise. The light slowly began to illuminate the world around them. Her blue eyes still held that dark, mourning blue... the blue of a lost friend.

Her eyes caught the movement of his hand and she jumped, a flinch when his hand landed on her arm. She had jumped out of his grip, almost stumbling back over the damn bench. Breathing hard, she tried to calm herself and she balanced herself out, regaining composure as much as she could. "Sorry.. It's the bird reflexes... they take awhile to wear off," she joked, laughing with a sad undertone.

"I'm as good as I can be right now. Doing my best to distract and refocus."

"And what does that entail?" Winona was a nosey person... but no one ever joked about birds being killed by curiosity; those were cats... "I hope it doesn't mean turning into some man whore and slutting yourself around the entire school. That, or I am sure you're bound to upgrade your smuggles to somethings more illustriously dangerous.. But, I know you have much more common sense than that, I'm sure," she mused, looking at him with the now darker blue eyes.

"I put my name in for the fourth task this morning.

Winona felt her jaw drop and her stomach twist. She has heard a great deal of the tournaments and well--- they were pretty harsh. "Atticus,  are you crazy?" She said too quickly. "You're an amazing wizard.. but, you--- you---" She stopped and thought. Atticus was also a damn smart kid and if anyone knew critical thinking, it was Atticus. "You'll do great," she whispered softly, hiding her worry with a smile.

Winona stood there, listening to him go on and on about how the tourney. She smiled, nodding along to his words, and yet, she couldn't stay hooked on them because of the worry in her stomach. "Atticus.. Can't we please get to the real reason why you invited me down here to the gardens?" She whispered. Winona was never really a blunt girl, but she was dying to know why he asked her to meet. "Please..."

Well, despite whatever about the Earth's axis and what not... I do prefer the warmer seasons. Spring is my absolute favorite, if I must choose."

Atticus chuckled, nodding in approval. "Ah, mine is fall. It might be birthday bias, but I also love the colors." He said smiling at her. He still saw some sadness in her eyes which caused him to double his efforts to make the morning great for both of them. He wanted things to feel normal again for Winona and this was the first step. Small talk over the weather was certaintly a classic conversation topic.

He was shocked and took a half-step back, his eyes scanned Winona. She still had bruises from her transformation and surmised that her body and reflexes were still on edge. Veela transformations fascinated Atticus on a deeper intellectual level, especially given that 'half-breeds', as crude as that term was, still retained many of the Veela characteristics. They were very similar to humans genetically so it made sense - but the magical aspect of it was still fascinating.

"I hope it doesn't mean turning into some man whore and slutting yourself around the entire school. That, or I am sure you're bound to upgrade your smuggles to somethings more illustriously dangerous.. But, I know you have much more common sense than that, I'm sure,"

Atticus raised an eyebrow at her, amused at her curiosity. "Slutting myself around the entire school?" He asked, doing his best to hold back a laugh. "Well, I'm not sure if that's your business anymore, mm?" He mused, making it clear he was jesting. "That being said, no of course not. Though there's no harm in looking." He added, a crooked grin spreading across his face. There was more truth in that last statement than he initially realized.

"You'll do great,"

Atticus smiled, noting her concern. The concern was valid given how dangerous Tetrawizard tasks had been in the past and this was the final one -- surely it would be exciting and dangerous. Atticus wasn't concerned for his well-being though, mostly from his self-confidence about the task. This was all assuming he was chosen, which was incredibly unlikely given how many names would surely have been put in the Goblet. Nonetheless, Atticus was prepared for anything. "I won't allow anything less." He said simply, looking into her now dark blue eyes.

"Atticus.. Can't we please get to the real reason why you invited me down here to the gardens?"

His smile faded for a moment, a passive expression taking over his handsome features. He looked up at Winona and anxiously began to twirl the flower in his fingers again - a classic Atticus tick. "I know you want things to be as they were." He said as he smiled weakly. "I'm going to do the best I can to do that... to bring that back to us." He swore, his voice soft and barely above a whisper. "I don't know if I can... I hope I can..." He said, uncertainty thick in his voice.

"I love..d you." He said, swallowing and looking down for a moment. The last minute addition of the past-tense phrasing made it just a little easier to say. He knew he wouldn't be with her and things weren't going to change. In a way truly was happy for Winona and Elian. He was her first boyfriend and if he made her happy then that was a good thing. "And it didn't work out. That broke my heart." He said once he was able to find his voice again.

"The shards of my heart are so small that they can be passed through the eye of a needle." He added, his eyes welling up before he closed his eyes and forced the tears away. "But I can and will move on. That's all I can do at this point. You're too important to me to ever let go. I will always be here - just like I promised years ago. Know that. Always." He said, his speech more fragmented than usual as he struggled to get his statement out. At the end of it he redirected his gaze back at the sunrise, the myriad of colors changing with every minute as the great ball of fire began to rise in the sky. The tears in his dark brown eyes caused then to glisten as the  sunlight hit them.

If anything about this situation was anything to Winona: it was stressful. Never had she ever had two men duel over her, and while most women would faun at such an action, she was tired of it all. Here stood two boys that truly liked her. No Veela charm had anything to do with their emotions. If there was one thing positive about this situation: it was that. Atticus was her best friend, close to her at heart while Elian was that handsome archer in the green hood.

"Fall is a very nice season, not as good as spring though." She said, smirking some. "At least you can have birthday bias... Winter is a horrid time. How can any sort of Veela be allowed to be born in such an ugly season?" Snow was her least favorite enemy and she found it to be more a nuisance than anything.

Winona could remember a time when Atticus would ask her what was wrong and he would make sure whomever ruined her day, would be recognized. Now... what will he do to himself knowing that he was the one that had caused the grief? It wasn't all of his fault; Winona held some of the blame as well. Where did Elian stand in all of this? No where. Nothing was his fault and Winona felt horrible for putting them both in these situations.

"I don't know if I can... I hope I can..."

She felt a lump form in her throat. Trying to swallow, she bit her lip nervously. Winona was really getting tired of hearing him say that. "Atticus-- I know you can... I want you to.. Please, imagine it as if you were doing to make me happy, like when we were kids." Secretly, she hoped he would bite on the bait she had lingering there. All she wanted was their solid friendship back.

Suddenly, Winona heard his next words.

"I love..d you."

Her breath caught in her throat and she suddenly felt like someone knocked the wind out of her. Color left her cheeks and she sat down, looking down at the blades of green grass. Love... Love... Love was such a strong word and she knew Atticus felt strongly about very particular things.. Why her? Why did he even have those budding feelings? Now wasn't the time to ask such nosey, typical Winona questions, but they picked at the back of her brain. Her dark blue eyes looked up at Atticus and she exhaled through her nose.

"And it didn't work out. That broke my heart."

She barely heard him. all she could hear was them dueling. The sound of the spells hitting each other.... the sounds of Atticus' breaking heart when she owled him her decision. She blinked slowly, slapping away the one tear that managed to break free from her eyelids.

"Atticus... I don't understand.. You.. You shouldn't love me. I'm just a clumsy, nerdy.. Veela girl with a family that spoils her and a mother who thinks that her own daughter isn't worth enough to be a Veela." She shook her head and ran a hand through her ponytail. "I don't understand why you love me. I don't understand why you two even fought for me," she whispered. "I don't understand..." She said weakly.

As he spoke on, she felt her heart slowly piece itself bad together. She made her choice.. and in no ways did she regret it at all.

"But I can and will move on. That's all I can do at this point. You're too important to me to ever let go. I will always be here - just like I promised years ago. Know that. Always."

Winona stood and ran to Atticus, which was only a couple paces, and threw her arms around him, a friend in her arms. "Atticus, I love you.. but I love you like a brother... You are family to me, and I know I am family to you," she said, nuzzling her face against his back.

"At least you can have birthday bias... Winter is a horrid time. How can any sort of Veela be allowed to be born in such an ugly season?"

Atticus laughed. "Well that's a little vain isn't it?" He prodded playfully, their usual pace and style of conversation slowly returning. Things would be normal again soon. As normal as they possibly could be after such a dramatic chain of events. He was initially frustrated at how hard it was to carry on a typical conversation with Winona - there was a thin layer of awkwardness between them that he found hard to overcome.

"Atticus-- I know you can... I want you to.. Please, imagine it as if you were doing to make me happy, like when we were kids."

"It isn't that simple. If it was that simple then this wouldn't be an issue." He said curtly, wishing she better understood his position. Or perhaps she was simply tired of the excuses. While Atticus preferred to label them as reasons, excuses wasn't an inaccurate term to someone who wasn't picky about semantics. He watched her sit down and stare at the grass as he broke the news. He understood completely why the color left her face and she had to sit down. Atticus has just dropped a proverbial bomb on the conversation and she would undoubtedly need a moment to process.

"I don't understand why you love me. I don't understand why you two even fought for me," she whispered. "I don't understand..." She said weakly.

Atticus squared his body and clenched his jaw. He could've given her a grand speech as to how many reasons there for for him to have fallen for her. The list seemed endless and it grew every day they were friends since the first. However, things were different now and at this point it would only salt the wound. He put his hands behind his back and unclenched his jaw for a moment, looking right into her eyes. "It's... irrelevent, now." He said as calmly and maturely as he possibly could. Adding anymore would only serve to weaken his crumbling, yet steadfast disposition. To Atticus surprise, Winona stood up and ran to him for a hug. His hands were still behind his back in his business-like pose when she hit him and wrapped her harms around him.

"Atticus, I love you.. but I love you like a brother... You are family to me, and I know I am family to you,"

Atticus hugged her back quietly. He absorbed the moment and thanked magic that Winona was still his friend after all the drama. She truly was family to him - the sister he never had. He knew he couldn't imagine life without her in it and he would do anything to make sure that didn't happen. "Family." He whispered simply.

Situations like these were not normal for Winona. This was the first time anything of this nature has shown itself to her. She had no idea, no clue on how to settle everything. All she knew is that she had to fix everything, and keep her friend and her lover. The decision she made, she knew, was the right decision. Never has she been faced with so many feelings before and now, they were beginning to level themselves out.. slowly, but surely.

Her arms remained around Atticus, silently happy that he had wrapped his arms around her as well. This was nothing like be in Elian's arms. Being in Elian's arms, she felt the romantic, girly stomach flips, the symptoms of a newly found love. Winona loved to be in Elian's arms for the way he made her feel all over. Atticus... Atticus holding her made her feel something much different. There was a sense of guarding, a protection only a great friend could provide. No, scratch that: a protection only Atticus could provide. He was her family... He was everything a big brother and a protector should be, all rolled into one.

The worries that squeezed at her heart from him leaving were gone, but transformed into the worries of him doing the Fourth Task. Winona didn't mention anything just yet. She was busy savoring the way the hug felt. After a couple more seconds, she looked up at him.

"Family."

Winona stepped back him, running her long fingers through her ponytail bringing it over one shoulder. A small smile gently prodded at the edges of her lips and she folded her arms under her chest. Her eyes went down, looking at her one foot as it began to dig its toe in the grass and earth. "Family," she rebutted. "My protector." With a small shrug, she gave a small smirk to go with it.

"Want to see something that you'll be proud of?" Winona's hand went to her wand that was tucked behind her in the waist band of her shorts. Closing her eyes, her thoughts flashed back to when Elian had kissed her for the first time. It was so vivid, as if she could feel the electricity on her lips again.

"Expecto..Patronum!" She said clearly. The tip of the wand glowed a light blue, before the hazy color shot forward some and there, was an otter, clicking it's tongue and swimming around Atticus. It only lasted a few seconds before it disappeared. A wide smile of achievement came across Winona's lips and she bounced on her tippy toes. "Atticus! Atticus! Did you see it!? My patronus is an Otter!!" She giggled.

To Atticus, loyalty was everything. If one couldn't be loyal to those closest to them then they were worth nothing. Self-reliance was an important and vital skill to have but acknowleding our own imperfections and the consequential need for others in our lives was essential to being a complete person. Atticus acknowledged that Winona very much fell under that category and had been for years. All his feeling for her pushed aside, he needed her in his life as much as she needed him. Atticus was someone who was very driven by the need for a purpose, even in his personal relationships. It explained why he did so well in his studies as well as his business but had the tendency to complicate friendships from time to time. Luckily for the two of them their relationship was very symbiotic.

"Family," she rebutted. "My protector." With a small shrug, she gave a small smirk to go with it.

Atticus smiled and hugged her tighter for a moment before  stepping back and exhaling deeply. He felt his muscles relax a little and his tension melt away. Perhaps this was how it was always meant to be - and he had simply misguided himself into thinking it should be something else. Maybe not but nonetheless it was not and would not be the time for he and Winona to be together for a long while. Elian seemed harmless enough - at least the boy could handle a proper duel and not get blown up at the first cast. Atticus knew he intended to be a Hitwizard, perhaps an Auror. Someone working for the DoMLE would have the resources and training to get the job done. That being said, Atticus was still considering entering magical law enforcement himself. Though he generally had more nefarious intentions with that career path than most.

"Atticus! Atticus! Did you see it!? My patronus is an Otter!!"

Atticus nodded at Winona, smiling wide as he watched her conjure a patronus. He watched a silvery-blue otter burst from the tip of her wand and dance around for a moment before vanishing. The Patronus charm was an incredibly difficult one to cast - one that required both immense concentration on a happy memory but also one who was very adept at charms. While Winona's talents lied more in charms than Atticus' did, he was able to produce the charm just a few months prior to her. This was mostly due to an unreasonable need to master the curriculum as soon as possible, but also raw stubbornness. "Congratulations!" He cheered as he watched the otter dance around. "That's an impressive feat, Winona. Not all witches and wizards can produce that charm. I think it also speaks to your emotional well being..." He added, trailing off for a moment to consider that a good sign.

"Amazing." He said, leaning back to stretch. The sunrise was now in full motion, meaning breakfast was about an hour away. "I've been practicing it more recently in case they throw dementors into the final challenge in the tournement." He said, looking down at his wand. "That being said, I still probably won't be chosen. One can hope, though."

 Right in front of her eyes, was another memory in the making. This memory was one Winona wanted to remember. Times like this with Atticus is what made Hogwarts and the experience. She smiled widely, turning her wand in her fingers before tucking in her pants behind her.

"Congratulations!"

Winona felt herself swell, as well as her ego and confidence. Atticus always knew how to make her feel as if she was on the right track. It was difficult for her to know if she was or not. Times right now at Hogwarts were getting thin and were about to wither away into the sunshine of a looming summer ahead. Winona felt her stomach twinge some at the thought of going home. Her mother would definitely be asking her about the way she glowed now that she had a boy in her life. And of course, they would ask about Atticus.

"That's an impressive feat, Winona. Not all witches and wizards can produce that charm. I think it also speaks to your emotional well being...

Her smile only grew wider, and she cupped her hands behind her back. "I know.. I've been trying for-- God,you know? Months now. And.. And it's an otter! An otter... I researched them, and they are really intelligent creatures, but they tend to keep their friend group small, and they are very family oriented with friends and everything..." She kept rambling on and on about otters before she stopped abruptly. A blush painted on her pale cheeks.

"Sorry, I ramble, and you know it..." She giggled some and looked at him while he stretched. The sun lit up her blue eyes, as they were a bright blue again, happiness reigning through them.

She walked towards him, gently poking him with her wand. "You'll get in. You're cunning and you have the smarts," she said. "But.. Atticus, be careful," she said, looking at him. "You can't get hurt... You're my friend, and I'm all for it.. But, please be careful." Winona gave a half smile, half smirk and stuck out her tongue. "My mother and father are definitely looking forward to seeing you this summer and definitely spoiling you like they always do," she commented.

Looking out at the horizon, she sighed happily. Things were on the upside now.. She plucked the flower from Atticus, and tucked in behind her ear. "Mine," she said curtly, but with a teasing smile. "Have you thought of any strategies for the tournament if you get picked?"

"I know.. I've been trying for-- God,you know? Months now. And.. And it's an otter! An otter... I researched them, and they are really intelligent creatures, but they tend to keep their friend group small, and they are very family oriented with friends and everything..."

Atticus stood there and listened to Winnie's Excitement. He didn't want to interrupt her as he swelled with pride that his best cast a Patronus charm. It was a difficult and fantastic feat, one that revealed inner parts of her personality that Atticus knew to be so very true. "Sounds exactly like you..." He said quietly, smiling as she went on. "Intelligent, loyal, cute - all traits I know to be true of you." He added, stifling a yawn as he glanced back at the sun. He had been up late the night before and as a result only got a few hours of sleep. Atticus was generally accustomed to operating on little to no sleep, but that didn't mean that he didn't have the urge to yawn or close his eyes on occasion.

"Sorry, I ramble, and you know it..."

"No worries, I like to listen." He said sincerely, looking back at her with a smile. He saw her eyes had returned to their usual brilliant blue, happiness radiating through them as she looked at him. "It's nice to see you smile." He said with a pause before leaning in to hug her again. "I'm so proud of you." He added as he pulled back. These were the times he missed so dearly and though he did not realize it until that moment, he needed them. Winona brought out the side of him he rarely exposed, a side that let him truly decompress and be himself. He hoped she felt the same way.

"You'll get in. You're cunning and you have the smarts," she said. "But.. Atticus, be careful," she said, looking at him. "You can't get hurt... You're my friend, and I'm all for it.. But, please be careful."

Atticus smiled quietly. He contemplated what it would mean if he was chosen for the fourth task. Hogwarts was in third place, meaning their success in the final task was of utmost importance. He considered the others who had put their names in - he saw a few in person and the others he gathered from his associates. He needed to know who he would potentially work with. At the time, Atticus had no idea how many champions would be chosen for the final task but he suspected it would be more than two. That raised his chances of being chosen but also raised the chances of incompetent champions being chosen as well. That being said, Atticus also gathered that those who put their name in were generally competent to begin with. Once again, he was overthinking things. "I'm always careful. I've made it this far in my life without getting caught, maimed or killed." He said confidently, a bit of jest in his voice. "I think being an accomplished duellist is going to help." He added, stroking his chin. "There's something to be said about thinking under intense circumstances."

"My mother and father are definitely looking forward to seeing you this summer and definitely spoiling you like they always do,"

"Ah, Herbert and Athena. My second family." He said, smiling wide. "I can't wait to see them. It's been some time since the last break. Oh, and the food..." He trailed off, daydreaming of the delicious meals of yesterday. "And you know me, I do truly love long intricate conversations with your father." He mused, thinking back to some great discussions that were had.

"Have you thought of any strategies for the tournament if you get picked?"

Atticus watched Winona take the flower from him and tuck it behind her ear. He smiled as he stroked his chin and considered his options. "Well, there are a lot of tactics that I could employ but..." He said, pausing to gather his words. "I do not know what the task will be. The only preperation to be had is to prepare for anything." He said astutely as he reached for his wand and twirled it in his right hand. "I'll practice duelling as usual, and maybe focus more on my acrobatics. I can't see a situation where that wouldn't be helpful, providing I don't break any bones while doing it." He laughed, rolling his eyes a little.

"I don't think that's a concern though."