THE SHADOW PATH ⎯ james potter

[003]

chapter three: this will be a dark ride

The Potions classroom in the dungeons was cooler than the rest of the castle, and the flickering light from the cauldrons cast dancing shadows on the stone walls. Ellie tried to focus on the warm scent of ingredients rather than the tight knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach.

She, Charlotte, Dorcas, and Severus Snape were assigned to a table together, with Gryffindor sharing the class. Remus sat at the next table with James, Sirius, and Peter. Ellie's eyes flicked to her brother every now and then, seeking some reassurance in his presence, though he seemed focused on the three loud boys at his table.

Professor Slughorn beamed as he introduced the class, his round face rosy and his voice warm. "Welcome to Potions, my dears! Now, you'll find that brewing potions is a delicate and precise art. The key to success is patience, attention to detail, and, of course, a little bit of creativity."

Ellie barely heard the rest of his words. She couldn't shake the unease building inside her. It had been months since she'd had a serious incident with her telekinesis, but Hogwarts was a new environment, full of uncertainties. The last thing she wanted was to lose control.

"Right, then!" Slughorn clapped his hands together cheerfully. "Today, we'll start with something simple—a Cure for Boils. The instructions are in the book, page 5. Off you go!"

Charlotte eagerly started collecting ingredients from the shelves, while Dorcas flipped open her textbook, reading the instructions carefully. Severus, dark and brooding, barely glanced at the book before setting up his cauldron with practiced ease.

Ellie followed along quietly, her hands shaking ever so slightly as she measured out the snake fangs and crushed them into powder. She could feel Charlotte's excited energy beside her, buzzing like electricity in the air, and Severus's quiet intensity on her other side. She wanted to focus, to do well, but her thoughts kept slipping back to the past year—the nights spent wrestling with her powers in secret, the constant fear of losing control.

As she added the powdered snake fangs to the bubbling mixture, her mind wavered. For just a moment, the classroom around her flickered—dark shadows edging her vision. She took a shaky breath, trying to center herself, but it was too late.

Without warning, the ladle in her cauldron lifted into the air, hovering a few inches above the surface. It spun slowly, as if controlled by invisible hands.

"Uh, Ellie?" Charlotte whispered, her eyes widening as she stared at the floating ladle. "Is that supposed to happen?"

Severus, who had been stirring his own potion with a critical eye, looked up and frowned, confusion flickering across his sharp features.

Dorcas, who had been distracted by her own cauldron, gasped when she noticed. "Is this some sort of spell?"

Ellie's heart pounded in her chest, panic rising as she tried to pull the power back in, to force the ladle to settle down. But the more she tried to control it, the more chaotic the energy became. The ladle began to spin faster, clattering against the side of the cauldron as it hovered higher.

Across the room, Peter, who had been watching with wide eyes, pointed to the commotion. "Look! That ladle—"

James and Sirius, who had been goofing off and joking with each other, turned to look as well. Their playful banter stopped immediately, replaced by suspicious glances.

"That's... not normal," Sirius muttered, his dark eyes narrowing as he studied Ellie. "What's going on with her?"

James's brow furrowed, suspicion creeping into his features. "I don't know, but it's weird, isn't it?"