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CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT - 🍂 ୧ the invisibility. . .
cloak ও🦌

HER MIND AND HANDS HAD BECOME ONE ENTITY as she had found herself suddenly gripped by the compulsion to draw more. Thoughts and images had come rushing through her head, her mind consumed by visions of things that had yet to pass.

Her drawings were no longer just artistic inspirations, but her tool for uncovering the truth of the future. It had become almost overwhelming.

Raven's words had an underlying hint of awe about them, but James could see how much it annoyed him. He did his best to be supportive, but her obsession with the drawings was consuming more and more of her time.

"It's bloody amazing," Raven commented

"It's consuming her time," he added, his frustration coming to the surface. "I want her to enjoy her passion, but..."

"James just misses his girl," Sirius laughed and dodged the thrown pillow, but he made no effort to push the subject any further when he saw the seriousness on James' face.

Lily stepped forward, daring to do what none of them had before as she actually attempted to remove the pencil. Even she, who was the closest to Autumn, was becoming increasingly concerned about her obsession.

It had only been a week since they had learned of the ability, and she was already losing herself in this new skill. The others were doing their best to be supportive, but they couldn't let her destroy herself in the process.

Autumn blinked at having the pencil removed from her grip, and she was finally forced to face the reality of the other's words as Lily kept hold of the pencil.

"We need to limit your time on this," Lily reiterated, and the concern on her face was evident.

Raven was amazed but decided not to argue, nodding her head as she agreed with Lily's plan. The restlessness was evident around the dorm, and she was ready to do something about it.

"Okay, Lils is right."

Autumn's eyes widened even further as she learned that James intended to limit her drawings down to only once a week. Her objections started to slip out immediately as she realized how little time she would now have for this new ability.

"Only once?"

"Yes, only once," he confirmed confidently, taking all the papers and placing them into her bag.

"But..."

"Only once." He cut her off before she could argue, shaking his head as he made his verdict absolute.

"Prongs has some guts," Sirius mumbled, his words barely audible to those around them.

"Guess love does that to ya," Peter whispered in response to his friend's words, his tone amused.

Remus then chimed in quietly, his voice just as soft as the others, expressing his own opinion.

"It makes you do crazy things," He contributed to the conversation.

"James is whipped," was Sirius' comment, and he received a nod of agreement on each side from Peter and Remus.

James shot a glare in the direction of the three of them but did not attempt to deny their words as he was fully aware of the truth of them. Instead, he merely responded with a light scoff.

AUTUMN HAD RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO THE DEAL because she knew deep down that her friends were right. While she wanted to enjoy her newfound ability, she didn't want to risk her well-being for it.

First, there was the potential for consequences, and the unknown of this ability was something that terrified her to even consider.

Secondly, she knew that they were concerned for her, and she was still able to find joy even with the limited time she had now to draw.

Autumn looked over her most recent drawing, which had become the centre of her attention despite the restriction of time. She had been hoping for a revelation through this ability, and it seemed as if this drawing had provided one.

It was Elliott, and although their friendship ended, a part of her had never truly given up on him.

She believed that the others felt the same way, but she had never been able to confirm it. And her most recent drawing might have just given her the answer she was looking for.

Now that the potential solution had presented itself, the issue at hand was finding a way to get Elliot alone. It was not an easy errand since he was often with Snape, Regulus, and other troublesome Slytherins that Autumn has a preference to avoid at all costs, specifically after what they had almost done to her the year prior.

Autumn was sceptical of the scenario, knowing how much Elliot despised the people he spent his time with. Except for Regulus, as the young Black was not problematic to them.

However, she was determined to get Elliot alone, for the drawing she had completed had validated her suspicions of something she previously only suspected.

He was up to something, and she was intent on finding out what that something was.

It took a considerable amount of planning for Autumn to figure out a way to get Elliot alone. She had almost given up hope on the idea, believing it to be impossible, but in the end, she found a way.

Autumn wasn't one to give up, especially when it came to things that she had set her mind to, and this was no exception. She would do whatever it took to meet with him and get to the bottom of what she suspected.

She had been confident in her abilities and her ability to get Elliot alone, but what she had not planned for was what she'd end up telling him. He was not aware of her newfound abilities, and while the knowledge gave her confidence to seek him out, it also put her at risk.

The people he was associating with were known as Death Eaters, and what would happen if they discovered her as some kind of seer was unknown.

She needed to exercise care in what she decided to divulge, and it was a risk she had to take.

The risk was high, but Elliot was someone who meant a great deal to her. Even though he had cut off contact with her and the rest of their circle, he was someone whom she could not allow herself to discard.

While Lily had successfully done so with Snape, whom she had known for longer, she was not able to do the same for Elliot. He was someone that she needed to know the truth of, and she wasn't prepared to give up until she had gotten her answers.

He was a weakness, and she was aware of that fact. But she was unable to stop herself from reaching out to him, for he was a dear friend who had never wronged her and who had protected her for years.

He had been a large part of her life for so long, and it had never entered her thoughts to not try to reach out to him.

She would take the risk and meet with him, no matter the possibility of dire consequences.

Autumn stalked Elliot with the hopes of finding a window of opportunity to talk to him, but she didn't notice that James was taking notice of her stalking. He had been with her for the majority of the day, and she had been doing a terrible job of concealing her actions.

James had mentally cursed due to how poor she was at the task at hand, and in this instance, he decided to handle things himself.

She let out an audible shriek as someone abruptly yanked her behind the large tapestry, causing her neck to jerk forward as she was startled.

Her startled reaction faded away when she recognized who had done it, and her breathing hitched when she saw the stern look on James' face.

James continued to stare at her, his expression still stern and hard, waiting for her to explain.

"James..." she whispered as she realized she still hadn't fully recovered from the sudden shock.

James crossed his arms, giving a quiet chuckle as his expression remained stern but not quite as hard as before.

"You're good at many things, love, but stalking isn't one of them."

She flinched at his words and recoiled away. "Was it that obvious?"

"Not entirely," he replied as he shook his head. "But there are a few people who would be able to see what you're doing."

Autumn bit her lip and glanced away as she was unable to look James in the eyes.

"I just..."

James reached out and placed his hand underneath her chin, making sure to lift her head up so he could meet her eyes.

"Love, I saw the drawing."

Her eyes widened when he mentioned the drawing, and her heart started to beat quickly as she finally realized her mistake. Her drawings were what James was referring to, and he knew—he was the one who put them in her bag last time, so he saw them.

"I know. I wish you hadn't tried to do this alone."

"You're not mad?" was her first response, as she was relieved to realize that he wasn't furious with her as she had initially anticipated.

James sighed and nodded as he closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

"I should have told you sooner," he reiterated as he continued to look at her intently. "But I know something about Elliot - I..."

Her attention was piqued as he mentioned knowing something else, her eyes widening as her curiosity was piqued.

"What do you know?"

James held up a hand as he motioned for her to calm down, recognizing the rush of excitement that he saw pass through her at the revelation.

"I know that what he is doing is to protect you, Raven, and Lily."

Autumn's face softened as the realization sunk in, and she slowly nodded her head while she thought about his words.

"If that is his concern then...maybe I shouldn't."

"No," James stated firmly, not willing to negotiate about her potentially not following through on meeting with Elliot after hearing what he had learned about him.

He took a deep breath before slowly continuing.

"There is no way you can use that information to prevent yourself from meeting with him. He told me about his actions months ago, but you've also been friends with him for far longer. I will not take away your chance to seek him out."

James reached into his bag and pulled out a cloak, placing it in front of her, his gaze remaining steadfast on her.

"At least use this." James handed her the cloak, and his facial expression softened slightly as she accepted it.

"Elliot is usually alone after his Herbology class because he has a free period. His so-called 'friends' typically have class during that time period, so he's alone to do what he wants. You are likely to find him strolling around the 5th floor," he clarified as he continued providing details about his location.

Autumn took the cloak and examined it closer, her eyes widening and her curiosity spiking when James revealed what it was.

Her eyes lit up as she looked up at him, her voice filled with surprise and interest.

"An invisibility cloak...how do you have something like this?"

James simply shrugged, giving an innocent shrug as his only response.

"Just passed down from my father's side. Just use it, and I'll be keeping an eye on you another way," he finished, his tone remaining casual as he spoke.

James helped her put the cloak on, making sure it covered her properly while he continued to watch her affectionately.

When she gave him a quick kiss, he sighed in response, letting out a contented laugh as he took in the scene of her kissing him and then sliding under the cloak.

As she was now hidden, he then pulled out the Marauder's map.

He tapped his wand gently against the Marauder's map, the map responding to the magic with the proper incantation as it opened up in front of his eyes.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," the map responded as its contents unfolded.

James's eyes scanned over the map, his eyes immediately tracing his love's location on the map.