𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍; 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫.

𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢: 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

hey all! wanted to clarify something here. there are tarot cards drawn in this chapter, and i know zilch about tarot. so bear with me if i get something wrong, i'd love a quick, kind comment so i can go back and fix it. read on, and enjoy! thanks for reading love youu

𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝. Their unspoken agreement to not be seen leaving a room together had stuck through all of their previous escapades, and this instance proved to be no exception. After cleaning herself up and performing the necessary contraceptive spells, she didn't bother bidding what would surely be an awkward farewell to a person she didn't altogether like very much. The dungeons were heavy and cold, incentivizing her trek to the Gryffindor common room. She still had a little bit of free time before Divination, and although she hadn't time for a shower, a refresher was certainly needed.

Dodging the Marauders in the common room was easy business; having reconciled, it was extremely hard to pull their attention away from each other. She saw them, across the room, all laughing together in a weirdly picturesque way. James and Remus were on the cream-colored loveseat, with Sirius laying on the floor and propping his feet up in the empty space between them. Peter hovered around James's armrest, looking extremely happy to be able to listen to whatever raucous conversation the other three were having. She looked closely at Remus, smiling at the way his worry lines were blurred, and his eyebags barely visible under the crinkles his real smile always brought out.

She slipped up the stairs and into her dorm room, fixed herself up as best she could, and went back down the stairs to sit with them.

"Tal," James greeted warmly. He looked overjoyed to have the group back together again. "What do you say? In for a night of good, old-fashioned Marauder Mischief tonight?"

"It's eleven in the morning," Amara replied dryly. "But yes, I suppose I am ready, if you are. That is, after Divination."

"You hate Divination," Remus said.

"While that may be true," Amara conceded, tilting her head in his direction, "consider the fact that our teacher is Professor Onai, my favorite teacher ever."

He was a common favorite among the Gryffindors. He was the most righteous, honest, heroic person Amara had ever met, and was always prepared to take a joke. He took his art seriously, but understood how hard it was for teens to grasp the idea of the future. He was a teacher that interested himself in the lives of his students, the fibers from which they were borne; the sparkle in their eyes, and from which parts of the marrow of life they feasted. Professor Onai was a watcher, a waiter, and a warrior, in the way that statues are steadfast and strong and oceans are vast and unyielding. If anyone, excluding Dumbledore, could protect them from the rising evils outside of the school, Amara thought maybe Professor Onai could.

James and Sirius were firmly of the same opinion.

"I'm not missing that damn class," Sirius sang, wiggling his toes and poking James's leg with his foot. "And that means you're not either, Prongsie."

"Obviously. Well, we haven't got much time, but anyone want to stroke my hair before we go?"

"Me," Amara said immediately, climbing to sit on top of the loveseat's backrest. She took James's head and leaned it against her leg, softly running her hands though his hair.