THE SHADOW PATH ⎯ james potter

[022]

chapter twenty-two:

quidditch with james

 Now that the group is back at Hogwarts, Ellie decided that that Christmas with the Potter's was the most fun she had ever had.

It was late, and the castle had long fallen into the familiar lull of night. Ellie, Charlotte, and Dorcas sat in their dormitory, the room dimly lit by the warm glow of the bedside lamps. The sounds of crackling wood from the fireplace filled the silence that had settled between them, but the tension in the air was palpable. Ellie and Charlotte exchanged glances—they had decided earlier that it was time to talk to Dorcas, to ask her the questions that had been gnawing at them for months.

Ellie took a deep breath, leaning forward from where she sat cross-legged on her bed. "Dorcas," she began carefully, her voice soft but serious, "Charlotte and I... well, we've noticed that you've been distant this year. You're not around as much. You're always with—" she hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Regulus, Barty, and Evan. We're just worried."

Charlotte nodded from her own bed, biting her lip nervously. "Yeah... it's like something's changed. You don't talk to us as much, and we don't see you with us anymore. We just want to know why."

For a moment, Dorcas froze. Her eyes darted between her two friends as if weighing her options. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms defensively. "Nothing's changed," she said quickly, though there was a note of uncertainty in her voice. "I'm just making new friends this year. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Ellie frowned, not convinced. "It's not just that, though. You seem... different. Distant. And we don't feel like we're part of your life anymore. You can tell us the truth, Dorcas."

Dorcas looked away, her gaze fixing on the flickering flames in the fireplace. Her jaw clenched as though she was holding something back. Silence stretched between them for a long minute, and Ellie was about to speak again when Dorcas finally let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Alright," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. She uncrossed her arms, looking defeated, and met their eyes with a sad, resigned expression. "You're right. Something did change. But I didn't want to drag you into it."

Ellie and Charlotte exchanged a look, urging her to go on.

"At the end of last year," Dorcas began slowly, "when we were leaving the platform at King's Cross, my parents... they saw me with you. With all of you." Her voice shook slightly, and she paused to collect herself before continuing. "They weren't happy about it. My family's—well, they care a lot about blood purity. They... they were furious that I was spending time with Gryffindors and... and blood traitors."

Charlotte gasped softly, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. "Your parents said that?"

Dorcas nodded, her expression bitter. "They did. And they made it clear that if I kept associating with people like you, people who weren't purebloods or didn't believe in pureblood supremacy, they would... they would disown me."

Ellie's heart sank. She had always known that blood status mattered to some families, but hearing Dorcas say it so bluntly, seeing how much pain it was causing her, made it all the more real.

"So," Dorcas continued, her voice strained, "I had to make a choice. I couldn't risk losing my family. They're all I have. So I... I distanced myself from you guys, and I started spending time with Regulus, Barty, and Evan. It's not because I wanted to, but because I didn't have a choice."