THE SHADOW PATH ⎯ james potter

[023]

chapter twenty-three:

before it's too late

The mid-afternoon sun cast long shadows over the Hogwarts grounds as Ellie and Charlotte walked side by side, their boots crunching softly against the gravel path. They were making their way back from an impromptu study session in the library, their minds still buzzing with the possible meanings of the mysterious runes they'd been investigating. They had already found four letters—F, D, R, and E—but their progress had been slow, and they still weren't any closer to uncovering what the runes were trying to reveal.

Ellie absentmindedly traced the edge of her wand with her fingers as they walked, her mind wandering to the most recent discoveries. The more they found, the more frequent the magical disturbances seemed to be. The potions malfunctions, the headaches... something wasn't right, and the runes were at the center of it.

"Maybe we need to focus on the locations more," Charlotte mused, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "There's a pattern, I can feel it. But it's just—"

Ellie froze mid-step, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a group of familiar figures up ahead, standing dangerously close to one of the stone walls. Dorcas, Regulus, Barty, and Evan. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched Evan Rosier reach out toward something on the stone—a glowing rune.

"Wait!" Ellie shouted, startling both Charlotte and the group in front of them.

Evan's hand jerked back just as his fingertips brushed the edge of the rune. The four of them turned to face Ellie and Charlotte, their expressions ranging from confusion to suspicion.

"What the hell, Lupin?" Evan snapped, his eyes narrowing at her. "What's the big deal?"

Dorcas stepped forward, her brows furrowed in concern. "Ellie, what's going on?"

Regulus, meanwhile, seemed more interested in the rune itself. His sharp eyes flicked between the glowing symbol on the wall and the two girls who had just interrupted them. His suspicion was palpable, and Ellie could feel his gaze drilling into her, demanding answers.

Charlotte, already moving closer to the rune, began muttering to herself as she quickly translated it. "It's an O," she said, her voice tense. "Another letter..."

Ellie, feeling the tension rise in the air, forced a smile and tried to sound casual. "We were just, uh, investigating those runes. You shouldn't touch them. It's... not safe."

But the lie didn't land the way she hoped it would. Regulus' eyes narrowed further, and Barty, as always, gave Ellie that same strange, unreadable look that sent a shiver down her spine. Dorcas looked between them, confused and slightly hurt, while Evan crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed with their vague warnings.

"Not safe?" Regulus repeated, his voice low and skeptical. "I've seen a bunch of these around the castle, and every time I get near one, I get this awful headache. So, don't bother lying to us. You know something about them, don't you?"

Ellie's heart raced as she tried to think of a way out of the situation, but before she could answer, Charlotte quickly interjected. "We've noticed the same thing," she said, her voice steady but careful. "The headaches. We're trying to figure out what's causing it."

Regulus took a step closer, his eyes boring into Charlotte's. "So you do know something. What are these runes doing? What do they mean?"

Ellie glanced at Charlotte, who looked just as uncertain as she felt. They couldn't afford to give away too much—not without understanding the full picture themselves—but it was clear that Regulus wasn't going to let this go easily. The last thing they needed was more people involved in the mystery of the runes, but now they had no choice.