Autum Leaves - Marauders X Reader.

Chapter 8 - All You Need Is Love

Linny awoke quickly from a sharp pain in her arm. The world was swimming and her brain was foggy with sleep. She was trying to piece together what had happened. She wanted to find James and see if his father had made a potion that could clear her head: it was so foggy. But then her heart sank deeper than she would like to admit... James.

It had been so real. The kiss, the talking. She was there. She had to have been. She could still taste him. Sighing she went to rub her eyes, it would be easier to sort reality from her mind if she wasn't so damn out of it. The movement of her arm caused her to stop. Glancing down slowly, she almost didn't want to look. She knew what she would find. 

Blood poured out over her sheets, and dripped down her fingers. Maybe she wasn't as careful as she thought she was back in the bathroom... But that had been hours ago, right?

Regardless of the time, she knew she needed to get herself help as she couldn't perform a healing spell this big on herself in this state. 

"sookey" She whispered feebly, it was the only thing she could think to do, she didn't even know if it would work.  The world was swimming now and she was losing vision as her blood seemed to run out. A sound echoed faintly in her ears, and she could feel someone touching her, so she assumed summoning the elf had worked. But before she could talk it all went black.

Everything was flashing by far too quickly. James; the kiss, his smell, her cousins, her parents, her aunt. The anxiety was building quickly in her chest, like a potion that had been mixed wrong, she could feel the pressure was going to pop. 

And the crack came. She lurched up hyperventilating, eyes watering from the sudden bright lights. The fog seemed worse now like she was watching a blurred movie in slow motion, by the time she could recognize what her eyes could see, she was already looking at something else.

"calm, drink this" A woman's voice soothed her slightly, and a cup was lifted to her lips. She stroked her hair as the liquid trickled down her throat. It warmed her and shook off the fog enough for Linny to comprehend what was going on. She was in the hospital wing, and Madame Pompfrey was sitting on her bed next to her. McGonagall and the headmaster stood by my bed watching worriedly. The panic in her heart eased off, and Linny was able to slump back down in her bed. Head rolling to the side she took a breath, but it got caught as she noticed the boy awkwardly standing to the side, debating if he should be there.

"James" Linny said, her voice hoarse.  James didn't reply but stared at his feet. 

"We will leave you two to talk. Caroline, we will need to have a chat when you are feeling stronger" Dumbledore was surveying the two students with a somber twinkle in his eye. After making a fuss of ensuring Linny was ok, Madame Pompfrey informed them she needed to prepare some remedies in her office and retreated into the small room on the other end of the wing. However, the healer made no attempt at a remedy but rather watched the Gryffindors intently through her window.

James noticed and chuckled lightly. "The teachers are me more engrossed in teenage gossip than the actual students, I swear" He ran a hand through his hair nervously and approached the bed.

"Well, we are very interesting" Caroline tried talking more to see if it would help fix her voice. It worked a little.

"James, what happened between us?" She asked sitting up slightly. James avoided her eyes

"Well uuh, if you mean what happened to you, we went to Hogsmede, came back last night, then early this morning you were bought into here. Poppyy was worried you wouldn't make it" He wouldn't meet the girl's amber eyes.

Linny's heart sank. So it had been some sort of blood loss-induced hallucination? Her subconscious fed off of the fact that a single boy paid her attention? "wha..." She started but didn't know what to say. "why won't you look me in the eye?" she asked calmly, watching James intently. James locked eyes with her.

"uuh, you were talking in your sleep," He said quietly, as if embarrassed for her. If Linny had been blushing previously, it was nothing compared to the shade of beet red she turned now. 

"So, Lily didn't come?" Even though she wanted to curl up and die, she sought clarification. It's not the first time she had mixed reality from fiction. She often found herself daydreaming and creating scenarios in her head then not remembering if they actually happened.

"Lily? No, she went home remember?" James looked concerned. Trying to see the bright side, Linny mustered a shred of happiness as the thought she didn't fight with her friend.

"Caroline, what happened... You seemed fine when I left you" James had never sounded so serious.

"Don't call me Caroline" Was all the girl said, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

"Linny" James grew more serious still.

"It's nothing" She brushed off wondering if she could perform wandless magic and turn herself into one of the cushions so she didn't have to deal with this conversation.

"Nothing? You bloody well nearly killed yourself" His tone was harsh and sliced into the girl's heart.

"look. sometimes, I have these nightmares about something that I saw when I was little... and sometimes it's too much for me to cope with. I never meant for it to turn out like this, usually, I'm more careful" Picking at the thread on her blanket she forced the words from her mouth.

"is that where Jace and Hunter come in?" He asked. Linny's head snapped up, how did he know their names? He seemed to read her thoughts "You talk in your sleep" He said again.

"Listen to me, Potter. Don't ever bring them up to me. Ever" James was taken aback by the coldness in the usually sweet girl's tone.

"So, was I at least a good kisser in this dream of yours?" he asked coyly, changing the subject. All traces of coldness disappeared from Caroline as her face flooded with color again, and she resorted to throwing a pillow at him to shut him up.