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CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN - 🍂 ୧ back from . . .
the holiday ও🦌

AUTUMN WAS LEFT TO WONDER what these mysterious drawings meant, and whether they could be a blessing or a curse. When she discussed this new revelation with her parents, they let her know that these drawings were far from the first of their kind. They revealed that they had trunks full of drawings that she had done over the years, many of which she had no memory of making.

Many of the drawings had been made before she discovered her magical talents, drawn by an innocent child who had no true understanding of what was happening. However, one drawing stood out amongst the rest for its unique nature. Her parents had noticed it when the Headmaster had visited their home to deliver the Hogwarts letter.

Autumn was only five years old when she drew the drawing in question, which gave her parents even more reason to be cautious about her magical talents. Seeing the elderly man appear before them, knowing that Autumn had captured this image was enough to send chills down their spine.

The fact that their daughter had the ability to see things before they happened screamed danger. Their hesitation in accepting her powers was not only justified but understandable after seeing that one drawing.

Aurelia and August shared the various concerns they kept hidden, knowing their daughter too well to expect her to simply brush them off. They knew that Autumn wouldn't sit back and ignore the issue, and when it came to her abilities, she would be determined to figure this out for herself and investigate the truth.

As Autumn returned to Hogwarts, her mind was fully focused on finding out the truth about her drawings. The topic of her discovery failed to cross her mind when she reunited with James and the others, but all of them knew Autumn well enough to know that bringing it up wouldn't be the brightest idea. They understood that it was best to wait for her to be ready to discuss this new revelation in her own time, rather than risk disturbing her focus.

Raven, the designated watcher of Autumn during the night times at their dorm, was exhausted from her lack of sleep. She was tasked with keeping an eye on her friend, which meant staying up when the others were unable to prevent her from slipping out to research her mysterious drawings.

James had offered to stay outside the Ravenclaw tower just in case, but this was not an option in Raven's eyes. James was already watching over their friend as they shared many classes together, which left her as the one assigned to keep a close watch over her friend during their nightly endeavours.

Raven's exhausted reflexes snapped into action as she saw her friend about to walk into someone. Her hand shot out to grab Autumn's arm, but she stopped abruptly when she saw the person whom Autumn was headed toward.

Autumn let out a small sound as she ran into someone, but immediately halted as soon as her senses caught onto who the person was. Her head craned up and she leaned against the person she had bumped into, her eyes softening slightly as her expression shifted from one of surprise to one of familiarity.

"Good morning, James," Autumn whispered back, her expression softening further as he gently caressed her cheek.

"Good morning, love. Why don't you put the book down for now, as I'd like to talk with you today," was his response, drawing her focus fully to him as her eyes flitted from the book in her hand to his face.

As she stuffed her book back into her bag, the rest of the Marauders and Lily made their entrance, coming into view from the hallway that James was walking down.

Remus stepped forward to make his greeting to the tired Raven, even offering to grab her bag so that she wouldn't have to carry it herself. As the two of them began to head for the Great Hall for breakfast, the others followed close behind.

James's hand moved down to take hold of Autumn's as they walked together, his eyes flicking down at her as he questioned her silence.

"I was wondering if you could fill me in about what's going on?" his voice was soft, his eyes looking down at her thoughtfully. "Of course, only if you can tell me what it is."

Autumn looked up at him, noticing the concern in his eyes as she thought back on all the discoveries she had made recently regarding her drawings.

She nodded his way and then leaned close to him, her voice keeping their conversation a private one.

"I'll tell you during our free period," she whispered as she glanced quickly around them. "I'll wait for a bit before telling the rest since I need to know what you think about it."

James's gaze was one of playfulness as he teased her with a smile. "Okay, if that is the case, it is time for you to give me some attention. I miss you."

Autumn nodded and let out a breath of relief as she leaned a bit closer to him, her eyes softening as she nodded. "I miss you and...sorry I should have told you right away."

James snorted back at her, his expression softening as he squeezed her hand and let out a chuckle. "Don't be silly, love. And don't apologize."

AUTUMN WAS VISIBLY ANXIOUS as she sat in the Room of Requirement, watching as James glanced through all her drawings. This was the only safe place in the entire school for the two of them to discuss any matters of importance, which only added to her unease as she anticipated his feedback on her new discoveries.

Autumn studied James's facial expressions while he looked through her drawings, but his lips stayed sealed as he kept his thoughts to himself. Every shift of his expression made her worry about what he would ultimately say, and the longer it took for the silence to break, the more anxious she grew.

"You know...." James finally spoke, lowering the last drawing which had held his interest as he finally broke the long silence.

"I always felt as if your drawings were something different." His words set her heart beating quicker as he finally spoke, his eyes now on her.

He shifted his body, leaning back as he crossed his arms, his eyes flicking back to her as he referred back to her previous drawings.

"You remember the lucky charm?" he asked, referring to the drawing she made during their Divination class where he scored the goal in the Quidditch game.

Autumn gave a quick nod in response as he continued to speak, his words confirming her suspicions regarding her drawings.

"What happened in the drawing was exactly what happened in the game when we won through points," he explained, referring to the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw where he avoided the other team and threw the quaffle to be caught near the goals for the victory. "It was the same as the drawing."

"Really?" The surprise in her eyes was evident, and her breath escaped her lips when James nodded and then reached into his pocket to remove the drawing she made during their Divination class.

Once he handed her the drawing, she let out a breath, her fingers taking hold of it as she studied her own work with fresh eyes.

Autumn let out but a single word in response, a simple "Merlin," as she handed the drawing back to him.

"Besides the drawing of your accident, I think you can draw the future," was James' answer, and he reached out to take the drawing back into his hands, eyes flickering back to its detail as he looked back at her.

James watched Autumn purse her lips and lean back in the chair she was sat. He took the chance to dig through the drawings and find the one of her and James from their first year when they met.

"So..." James cleared his throat, a slight edge of pity creeping into his expression as his words hit home.

"It was you I met and not Lily on the train," he explained, realizing the truth of the drawing as he leaned forward to gaze at the one which depicted him first meeting her on the Hogwarts Express.

Autumn's eyes flashed to the drawing of them meeting in their first year, and she let out a soft murmur as she glanced back up at him with a look of understanding.

"Yeah, I remember Raven calling you a bloody git," Autumn agreed, recalling the incident with a smile.

"Because you didn't say sorry when you and Sirius bumped into us when you were running."

James chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he nodded. "I was such a prat," he admitted, with a hint of humility.

Autumn couldn't help but crack a smile as she responded, her voice light-hearted and easy.

"Oh, you weren't that bad yet."

James raised an eyebrow at her choice of wording, his expression shifting.

"Yet."

Autumn's attitude was a bit more straightforward in her reply, her body language relaxed as she leaned on her palm.

"I mean you were an arse," she confirmed without holding back, "If you want me to say it," she added with a playful grin.

"But," her tone grew slightly more serious, "that was then, this is now."

James let out a sigh as he reached out to caress her cheek gently, his hand lingering for a moment before he pulled it back.

"You are too good to me sometimes."

"Well, you have been good to me, so I am simply returning the favour," she smirked back at him, her tone light but her words sincere.

James leaned forward and kissed her, the touch of skin on skin filling her with a rush of affection for her lover in front of her.

At every point of skin-on-skin contact or even just smelling her fragrance, hearing her voice, or feeling the warmth and softness of her presence. James was brought closer to the brink of losing himself in the passion of their love, falling deeper and deeper into it without any end in sight.

The thought of living without her was unfathomable, and he could never imagine a life where he did not have her love or her touch. She was the world to him and he wanted to spend his life with her by his side, to share each moment and experience with her.

The kiss took over her senses as she leaned back into it, melting into it as she felt herself being lowered. The couch, though small, seemed to fit her as an extension of her own body during the intense moment.

It was as if her mind and body were no longer separate things as the heat of the kiss washed over her, her thoughts and feelings consumed by the moment. Her heart quickened with the rush of it, and the pull of the kiss left her legs weak below her, feeling like she could be swept away any moment.

The desire to go further was strong within James, his hands moving of their own accord to wander across her body at his whims. However, his rational side finally caught up and wrestled control away from the animal side, his hands pulling back and him finally pulling away from the passionate kiss.

It was a struggle within him to resist her, to keep himself from going further than he knew he should, but the rush of common sense had taken over at this close to the edge. The kiss was more than enough if only to keep from being swept away completely.

"Probably not the time," James acknowledged with a slight frown, realizing how close he had been to losing himself in his desires.

Autumn gave a light peck on his lips before getting up, and he followed suit with a soft chuckling laugh.

"And not the place," she added, which brought another laugh out of him.

"When you say things like that, it makes it harder for me," he agreed, his expression still teasing as his eyes kept shifting over her body.

Autumn brought forward one of the drawings she had made as she tapped it lightly against his cheek, catching his attention and pulling him out of his playful thoughts.

"So we'll tell the others and see what we can discover."

James' eyes went from the drawing to her face, his expression shifting from playful to one of seriousness as he nodded his head.