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CHAPTER FORTY SIX - 🍂 ୧ a prequel to . . .
our future ও🦌

JAMES GENTLY AND SLOWLY kissed Autumn's shoulder, his lips caressing her skin as he traced his way down her arm until he reached her hand. He then slowly interlocked their fingers, and he continued to rub his hand across her fingers as he kissed the back of her hand.

Autumn, who was slowly coming out of her slumber, felt the gentle kisses against her skin, and her eyes slowly opened as she looked at James and found his hand interlocked with her own. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were suddenly caught in her throat.

Her mind was slow to catch up to the situation, and she was lost in James' eyes as she tried to find her words. His gentle and tender kisses had caught her by surprise, and she remained frozen for a moment, unable to speak.

Finally, she found herself blurting out in a breathless whisper, "Why don't you come under the covers with me?"

His gentle kisses came to a stop when she spoke up, and he slowly looked back into her eyes as she offered her request. A small smile slowly spread across his lips, and his eyes lit up when she suggested that he join her under the covers, his hand gently brushing her arm as he replied.

"I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of the day snuggling with you, but I think if both heads are absent, there would be talk" he breathed, as he slowly climbed onto the bed next to her.

He gently laughed as she went to reach for her clothes, but his hand had already caught them before she could get to them himself. He then set her clothes on the edge of the bed and slowly climbed off the bed and kissed her hand as he moved away to give her space to get dressed.

They had spent the whole previous day together, not wanting to separate after the moment of him promising to be with her forever, and they had both ended up back at the dorms for the night.

As he slowly moved away from the bed, he watched as she started to get dressed, his smile growing ever so slightly as he watched her. He then turned his attention to his clothes, slowly beginning to put them back on as well.

He took a few moments to finish putting his clothes back on, taking his time to make sure they were right instead of just quickly and haphazardly tossing them back on. He then turned to face her again, his mouth breaking into a wide smile as he finished getting dressed and watched her doing the same.

"James, your smile is lovely, but if you keep at it, your face might get stuck that way." Autumn joked, looking at his reflection in the mirror she was standing in front of while fixing her hair.

James laughed, saying, "I can't help it; every morning for us after graduation will be like this."

He grinned as he listened to her, watching her fix her hair in the mirror, and he let out a light chuckle as he replied, "I guess I have been lucky that my face hasn't been stuck looking like a lovestruck fool the moment I fell in love with you."

He approached her from behind and gently placed his hands on her forearms, the smile remaining on his face as he continued to speak.

"And I get to wake up next to the woman I love every single day, and if it results in my eyes and smile being stuck looking in delight, then so be it."

He took note of her reaction as she felt his touch, her body subtly reacting before she breathed in, taking him in on a more intimate level in a mere moment. His rough hands, his morning voice, and his unruly hair. His cheeky smile and his dimpled cheeks. It was all enough to send her heartbeat skywards in seconds.

When he noticed her reaction, a cheeky grin spread across his face, and he leaned in, gently whispering in her ear.

"I love how you look so utterly adorable when you're tired, you know that?"

The calloused hands of the person she loved, his gruff voice in the morning that held so much kindness. His unruly hair that was just begging to be played with, and his cheeky smile that seemed to only ever show when he was with her.

There were so many little things that she loved about James, and she could spend an eternity listing them all, so she just leaned back into him slightly and sighed contentedly.

He was her person. He was her love. He was her James.

As much as they wanted to stay in the dorm and never leave, the sun rising in the sky was a stark reminder that they had some responsibilities to take care of the outside of the four walls of the dorm room. They had head duties, classes, internships, and most importantly, they had to study for their NEWTs that were scheduled at the end of the school year.

As much as they wanted to spend their days snuggling in bed together, they were both mature enough to know that they had other duties to take care of first.

THE WEEKEND HAD FINALLY ARRIVED, and it was time for the mock game which would determine who would be the next Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Autumn stood in the stands along with many other Gryffindors, among them, were Raven, Remus, Lily, and Peter. They had arrived for the mock game to witness who would be the new Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

On the opposite side of the stands that was also filled were the Ravenclaws, who had decided to volunteer for the mock game. It was a friendly match between the two houses.

While Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were the main contenders for the quidditch match, there was a smaller amount of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins present to spectate the game as well.

The overall atmosphere was lighter, though, compared to the actual quidditch matches that the students had attended earlier in the year, as it was only a mock game between the two houses.

Raven breathed out a sigh and hooked her arm around Autumn's, gently drawing her in a little closer as she leaned her head on her friend's shoulder.

Autumn could hear the tiredness and slight distress in Raven's breath, and she gently stroked Raven's arm with her hand as she responded, "You know you can always talk to me if anything is bothering you. What's on your mind?"

Autumn felt her heart flutter slightly when she felt the change in expression on Raven's face, her brows furrowed as she glanced over to where Remus and Peter were sat.

She gently brushed her fingers across Raven's hair, trying to make her more comfortable enough to speak again.

"Suppose... James opened his heart to you after Elliot departed, would you have still accepted him and his feelings?" Raven inquired.

"If he asked me after Elliot left..." Autumn paused for a moment, weighing her words carefully. "Yes, I would have said "yes" to James. He was the only one I ever wanted to be with"

"Did you think about how frightening it was to allow someone in?" Raven asked hesitantly.

"Honestly, I always have that fear, but I've known James for years, so it has never come across as fear when it was him. Maybe if it was someone I just met, I would probably think differently."

Autumn grasped Raven's hand and gently shifted, guiding Raven to raise her head so they could meet eyes with each other.

"Rave," Autumn smiled brightly and gently nudged her head in the direction where Remus was sitting. "I think you should give him a chance. It may seem bold to say this, but Rem cares about you deeply, and based on the time we've known him, he is loyal, caring, and would do anything to protect those he treasures."

Raven lowered her gaze and then let out a heavy sigh. "I'm terrified about what might happen."

Autumn gently rubbed Raven's hand she was still holding. "Maybe, you should think about what's happening now instead of what may possibly happen. Rave, we live in a time where we can lose anything and wouldn't you rather take what you can now instead of missing out on the opportunity?"

Lily, who was seated beside Raven and had been overhearing their conversation, could not help but interject. She did not wish to intrude or disturb their discussion, however, she could not resist speaking her thoughts.

"You know, Autumn is right. Experiencing fear is a normal reaction, but wouldn't you say that Remus is worth the risk?"

Raven sighed heavily and then looked over at Remus who was sitting nearby. "I suppose you two are right." She paused for a moment, before letting out another sigh as she gave them a small smile. "Okay... I'll give him a chance"

Autumn and Lily shared a smile at Raven's reply and playfully gave her a teasing look. However, Raven was well aware of their thoughts and playfully waved her hands towards their faces, pushing them away.

"Not right now, after the game, I don't need an audience," she said in a joking tone, yet was still firm in her stance.

...

As the mock game concluded, Autumn, Lily, and Peter watched Raven as she whispered to Remus, and the two of them headed off together.

The girls and Peter walked towards the centre of the pitch to witness James make the announcement of the new captain, and they stood to the side, waiting from a decent distance away.

Peter leaned over to the girls and whispered, "Who do you think is going to be the next captain?"

Lily pursed her lips and shifted her feet in her heels. "Honesty, Pete, you probably would have a better answer if Remus were here," she replied thoughtfully.

Autumn let out a light chuckle and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, neither of us cares much about quidditch."

"But you guys come to the games," Pete pouted, before leaning back and huffing playfully. "Okay, fine, just point to a member, and that'll be your choice," he teased.

Autumn and Lily briefly glanced at one another before they both pointed randomly to a timid-looking male.

Peter scrunched his brow as he glared at their selected individual and gave a light sneer, shaking his head in doubt that they were on the money.

However, when Peter was about to point to another individual, James called the team forward to announce the new captain. To Peter's astonishment, the individual that the girls had selected was the same one that James announced as his successor.

Peter's expression shifted into disbelief as he turned to face the girls. "You're bloody kidding me," he scoffed, unable to contain his shock. "Who in bloody earth made you two pick him?"

Autumn pursed her lips as she tried to explain their reasoning. "He was the fastest on the team," she stated calmly.

Lily, however, had a more interesting take on their decision and smirked slightly. "And his calloused hands prove that he tosses a quaffle in his free time," she mused.

Peter mumbled to himself in disbelief as he grappled with the fact that he had fallen short of the girls, who had explicitly revealed their disinterest in the game.

James and Sirius, who had overheard the girls' comments, strolled over as the team celebrated their designated Captain.

Sirius nodded his head, giving the girls a respectful nod. "The girls might not be fans of Quidditch, but they know how to think critically."

James joined in with a wide grin, "It was a bet destined to fail, my friend," he declared confidently.

The group erupted in laughter at the amusing exchange, and Peter couldn't help but chuckle alongside them, albeit reluctantly.

As the group's laughter subsided, they all took notice of the new captain, as he stood proudly, accepting the congratulations from his squad.