Of greener pastures. {Autumn}

[Noalan Bounds G7]

The common room was filled with so many people making Noalan feel claustrophobic. He never had been into small enclosed spaces, and absolutely hated having so many people around him. He hated the way that side of you body felt extremely warm, and the fact there was no place to move to. He especially hated when people weren’t aware that they where doing it. The ignored any personal space lines that had been drawn. Just like now. Here he was, trying to read, further his knowledge in writing styles so he could try it out for himself and so girl kept rubbing up on his leg. Normally he wouldn’t have minded, in fact he would have welcomed it. But writing was something he took seriously; he couldn’t deal with the distractions. To focus he had to take several deep breaths, but even that didn’t work, well not well. He had to get out of there. Finding another place, somewhere quieter and less crowded where he could get lost in the book, and in his thoughts. He hadn’t been there in awhile. He had so much to think about.

He slammed the book shut and got up surprising the girl who had been sitting at the table with him. He smiled at her apologetically. There was no use for anything else. He needed air. And he got exactly what he wanted as he excited the common room and stepped into the corridor. Not many souls in this space. Enough room for him to be comfortable, and move how he pleased, walk where he wanted to, and it he was just free. Did I mention he really hated having that many people surround him? But for now he okay. He passed his book from one hand to the next, thinking about where he should head to. There where many places he could go and read in. But what if he got bored, and was looking for a distraction, someone to converse with. It couldn’t be somewhere to far away from reality. The library wasn’t really a place to chat, so he marked that off his mental list as he walked aimlessly. He could go outside, but it was cold out there. He didn’t want to freeze, so the lake was checked off the list as well. There really was only one place to go, and that was to the student lounge.

He walked in surprised to see that a few had the same idea as he did. Some had taken his favorite places, but luckily he had more. Like his spot by the window. No one was there. As if the spot was just waiting for him. Maybe it was. His mind had been made up for him. He sat down like he normally did. He opened the book like he normally did skimming over the page until he found his spot. It was back to this style of writing. His mind became filled with the dialogue of the characters, the themes, and the characters themselves. So intriguing, this is why he loved ready he got swept away in the world of fiction. He loved to be taken away from reality. And there he was being taken away. Thirty minutes passed then an hour, and then two. He was still reading and didn’t notice the other people coming and going, but mainly going. Many didn’t stay long. When he was finished with the book, he closed it letting what he just read sink in. it was incredible. But now he wanted to join the human race again.

It surprised him once more at the number of people there. Two others besides himself, and one of them looked like she was leaving. Without even a though he called out to her. “Don’t leave just yet. We haven’t had a chance to talk.” He told her smiling that smile of his. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, except as she was leaving he knew he wanted to talk to her. And what he felt he wanted, he tried to get, and there was some sort of logic behind the madness.

[Autumn Leeves S5]

Autumn looked out the window of the classroom she was in. She was trying to do some work, but she hadn’t been able to focus and had decided instead to look out the window at the weather. It was white outside, a pure white with a few brown poking out here and there. The trees were obviously dead and Autumn found it awful morbid. She hated winter for that mere reason, it was so dead and lifeless. Autumn sighed slightly and moved away from the window, heading over to the table she had been studying at and packing up her things. She didn't feel like studying anymore. Autumn was never good at studying for too long because she hated studying – half of the thing she just didn't comprehend. Music, she comprehended music, not spells and history; not arithmancy or potions. She didn’t get those and she had no desire to get those. Autumn hummed quietly to herself a favourite tune of hers as she pulled her backpack onto her right shoulder and left the classroom. She didn't want to return to the common room just yet because she knew she would just lounge about reading or listening to music. Instead, Autumn took a sharp turn and headed toward the Student Lounge. At least there she could relax and pretend to study. Autumn opened the door to the Student Lounge and stepped inside. There were only a few more people in there and it made Autumn sufficiently happy, she hated when places were crowded – that's half the reason she studied in empty classrooms, the other half just had to do with the environment.

She took a seat toward the back of the room and slouched down low in the arm chair, closing her eyes as she relaxed her head against the back of the chair. She listened to the humdrum of the lounge. The opening and closing of the door. The laughter of the people. The chatter and titillating whispers. Autumn just got lost in the feeling and the sounds. Over time, voices changed, but Autumn didn't leave. She didn’t move, at least not until she found herself nearly falling asleep. In that case she moved to open her backpack and pull out a book to read. She skimmed through the pages, not being really interested in the book at all, before setting that aside and pulling out her script. It was for a role in the upcoming play in Hogsmeade. Rehearsals were every weekend considering a good portion of the cast went to Hogwarts, and then the performances were in about three or so months. It wasn't a musical, which had greatly upset Autumn, but it was something at least. She pulled out a highlighter and started highlighting her lines, as she mumbled them to herself quietly. Minutes passed and Autumn found herself getting a headache from reading so much. She sighed and capped her highlighter, setting it in her backpack with her script, and then rubbed her eyes as she stood and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She moved to leave the lounge when someone spoke to her. It wasn't Eden, that was for sure. She would have recognised his voice and he wouldn't have greeted her that way. Autumn sighed again and turned around to see who had spoken to her, her annoyance written clearly across her face.

"I hadn't any intention of talking to you," she stated clearly from the spot she was standing in a good 7 feet from the boy who had spoken to her. She looked him over, noting his Gryffindor robes, and the fact that he looked older than her by a good year or two. She really didn't have it in her to deal with this type of boy today. She stood in silence, her head cocked to the right a bit as she waited for him to say something so she could make a snide remark and leave the lounge, head toward her common room, and lie around as she thought about Eden before actually going to meet up with him. She wasn't having a good day, but then again Autumn rarely had good days while she was at school. Autumn raised an eyebrow before speaking again, "May I help you in some way? I don't mean to be rude, but I don't know you…and haven't any clue as to why you would want to talk to me."