James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper jp-1

by G. Norman Lippert

  “James’ secret admirer,” Rose said. “We had to come up with something fast so he wouldn’t tail us around all day.”

  “Do you think you can remember the secret knot?” James asked, changing the subject.

  Rose answered, “Gennifer marked it with a spot of green paint. It looks like moss unless you get up close. Should be pretty easy to find if you know what to look for.”

  As they crested the hill and came in sight of the Whomping Willow, James found a long stick beneath a birch. He smiled, showing it to Ralph and Rose. Rose nodded seriously.

  “You’re on secret knot duty, then, James,” she said. “Just give it a good poke. We’ll follow you into the entrance between the roots once the Willow goes still.”

  James gripped the stick and approached the tree. The Willow seemed to sense his intent. It reared slightly, creaking its roots, and whipping its thinnest branches threateningly.

  “Stay low,” Ralph called. “You’ll need to get just inside the shadow of the tree to reach the knot. The big branches can’t reach you, but those little green ones might if you’re too high.”

  James hunkered as low as he could until he was crawling forward on his hands and knees. The tree swished and groaned over him. A whip-like green branch swung at him, trying to wrench the stick out of his hand. It missed, but James felt the breeze of its passage.

  “Careful,” Rose cried in a thin voice. “Just right there! Slowly!”

  James reached as far as he could, staring down the length of the stick at its wavering tip. He could see the spot of green paint applied earlier in the term by Gennifer Tellus. This close up, he could see that she’d painted it in the shape of a tiny smiley face. The Whomping Willow creaked ponderously and James felt its shadow leaning over him. He lunged and poked with the stick, striking the knot dead-on.

  “That’s it!” Rose cried. James heard both Ralph and Rose running forward. He scrambled up, slipping on the wet grass. Clumsily, he hurled himself forward into the dark crack between the Willow’s massive roots. He landed with a thud in the mossy hollow beneath the tree. A moment later, he heard and felt the entrance of Ralph and Rose. They landed on either side of him, barely missing him in the damp darkness. James laughed in relief. He began to climb to his feet when a fourth shape hurtled through the entrance, bowling directly into James. A knee bounced off his chest, knocking the wind out of him. There was a chorus of angry and surprised shouts.

  “What the—” Ralph cried, scrambling up and snatching after the intruder. He caught the figure by the collar just as Rose whipped out her wand.

  “Lumos!” she cried, holding it up.

  The wandlight sprayed over the skinny shape of Cameron Creevey, held suspended by Ralph’s grip. The boy had dirt and bits of bark on his face. He grinned gamely.

  “Hi, guys,” he said, panting. “Some field trip, eh?”

  15. OUT OF HOGSMEADE

  “I couldn’t help it,” Cameron said as the four traipsed along the length of the tunnel. “I just knew you were up to something exciting! I saw you heading out toward the Whomping Willow and I remembered reading that there had been a secret passage there, back in our parents’ day. They say it was all sealed off after the battle, but still, I knew you three could find a way through if you wanted. So I followed along. I was about to call out to you, but then the tree stopped moving and you all ran toward it! I did the first thing that came to mind and ran after you. It was a near thing too! The Willow came back alive just as I got under it! It swiped at me and barely missed!”

  “Stupid, lazy tree,” Ralph muttered.

  “Cameron, that was a very reckless thing to do,” Rose said reprovingly, still holding her wand aloft to light the way.

  “Well, you can’t blame me, can you?” Cameron protested shrilly. “I’ve read all the Harry Potter stories at least a dozen times! When I saw you sneaking off, I knew you were going on some big secret adventure! I just wanted to see it in person. I promise I won’t get in the way!”

  “Those stories are all rubbish, Cameron,” James grumbled, not really believing it. “My dad says that he couldn’t even read them all the way through. They make it all seem like an exciting romp, but it was mostly really scary and people dying and buckets of dumb luck.”

  “Oh, I know,” Cameron enthused. “Believe me, I understand all that. I know Revalvier’s books are cleaned up a little bit. I mean, they were written to be children’s stories. But still, my dad says they got the main parts all right. And your dad really did fight Voldemort and defeat him, all because of the protection his mum gave him when she died to save him. That part wasn’t made-up, was it?”

  “Look, Cam,” James began a little angrily, but Rose cleared her throat and nudged him.

  “We weren’t the only ones to lose relatives in the fight against Voldemort,” she said softly.

  James remembered. Cameron’s Uncle Colin had been killed during the Battle of Hogwarts. James sighed. “All right, Cameron, I guess you’ve a right to come along today as any of us. But trust me, there aren’t going to be any grand adventures.”

  “There better not be,” Ralph said darkly.

  “I told you, Ralph,” Rose said, “the tunnel to Hogsmeade is technically a part of Hogwarts. It’s under the protection Merlin gave the castle. We’re safe here.”

  Ralph didn’t seem particularly relieved. “Yeah, well, what about when we get to Hogsmeade? Are you going to tell me that somehow the whole village is ‘technically a part of Hogwarts’?”

  “Arguably, it could be,” she answered. “It’s probably the last vestige of the fief that once surrounded the castle. But either way, there will be loads of people there. Not even… er, someone really powerful would attack us with all those crowds around. Besides, no one has seen the Headmaster for almost two weeks, have they?”

  “I saw him just yesterday,” Cameron piped up. “He was in the hall outside the common room, just walking along like he was on a stroll.”

  James glanced back at Cameron. “You saw Merlin in the castle? Are you sure it was him? I thought he was off travelling somewhere. That’s what Professor Longbottom said.”

  “I guess he got back, didn’t he?” Cameron replied. “What? I thought you all liked Headmaster Merlin.”

  “Sure, Cam,” Rose said. “We like him well enough. We just, er, wouldn’t want to get caught sneaking off the grounds like this.”

  Cameron grinned. “Oh, you three won’t get caught. That wouldn’t make a very good story, would it?”

  James was becoming rather annoyed with Cameron. “This isn’t a ‘story’, you know. Merlin knows when things are going on around the school. If he’s here…”

  “Let’s not spook ourselves,” Rose said soothingly. “We’re not doing anything terrible. We just want to get a look around Hogsmeade, that’s all. Nothing bad is going to happen. Cameron’s probably right. It wouldn’t make a very good story if we were all captured and horribly dispatched by some waiting enemy in the Shrieking Shack…,” her voice trailed off uncomfortably. “Er… would it?”

  “Depends on what kind of story it is,” Ralph said gloomily.

  They walked in nervous silence for awhile. Eventually, the tunnel began to slope upwards. It ended at a jumble of broken crates and bits of furniture, all covered with dust and cobwebs. Beyond was only thick darkness.

  “We must be at the Shack,” Rose said in a whisper. “James, can we make it through?”

  “Just barely, if we move some of this rubbish around.” James gingerly began to stack some of the fallen crates. Dust puffed up at his efforts, clouding Rose’s wandlight. Spiders skittered on the walls.

  “So we’re at the Shrieking Shack, then?” Ralph asked in a quavering voice. “Should we be expecting it to, you know, start shrieking?”

  Rose answered, “It doesn’t do that, Ralph. It’s a long story, but there’s nothing to be afraid of here. At least, not anymore.”

  Ralph gulped. “Then why are you whispering
?”

  “There,” James said, wiping his brow with his sleeve. “I can see through. It’s really dark, but if you duck right here we can get into the next room.”

  James led the way, clambering through the small opening on his hands and knees. He could see that the tunnel entrance had once been larger, but the Shrieking Shack had deteriorated quite a lot in the years since the tunnel had been used. Much of the wall had crumbled around the opening and the ceiling overhead had partially collapsed.

  “Whoa,” Cameron said in awe as the four students dusted themselves off. “This is where it all happened! This is where Harry Potter learned the truth about Sirius Black! I bet it was right over there that Black almost killed the rat, Peter Pettigrew!”

  “Thanks for the play-by-play, Cam,” James muttered. “Come on, let’s get out—”

  Cameron gasped, causing everyone to jump. “It must have been right here that Voldemort ordered his snake Nagini to attack Professor Snape!” Cameron said breathlessly. “He probably died right where you’re standing, Ralph!”

  “Can you, like, stop talking about who killed who in this very room, Cameron?” Ralph exclaimed. “It’s not like the place needs any more ambiance.”

  “Oh,” Cameron said sheepishly. “Yeah. Er, sorry.”

  Slowly, the four made their way upstairs, stepping carefully through a strew of broken furniture and collapsed ceilings and walls. The deterioration of the Shrieking Shack was severe enough that James worried the place might simply collapse on top of them. Wind whistled and moaned through cracks in the walls, making the entire house creak. As they reached the main floor, broken windows let in enough daylight that Rose could finally extinguish her wand.

  “There’s the door,” Cameron said, pointing. Remarkably, the old door was still intact and fit snugly enough in its warped frame that the four of them had to pull the handle simultaneously to budge it open.

  “I sure am glad to be out of there,” Ralph said, jumping off the sagging porch. “I think the only thing holding that place up is force of habit.”

  James glanced back at the Shack. “Let’s just hope it holds up for at least a few more hours.”

  “It occurs to me,” Ralph said, looking at James and Rose, “that this is an awful lot to go through just to get some Drooble’s Best Blowing gum and say hi to Ted.”

  Rose shook her head and trotted along the path leading toward the village. “Oh, come on, Ralph. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “I think I used it all up last year.”

  James smiled. “The worst part’s behind us, Ralphinator. Come on, it’ll be fun!”

  “Hurry up, you guys,” Cameron called, halfway between Rose and the two boys. “I have to use the toilet!”

  Ralph rolled his eyes, and then grinned at James. “Come on, I’ll race you!”

  James, Ralph, Rose, and Cameron found their way to the High Street and wandered along it, happily enamoured by the various shops and bustling crowds. James and Ralph were debating whether to visit Honeydukes or Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes first when Rose exclaimed in delight, pointing.

  “Scrivenshaft’s?” James said as Rose hurried forward. “You want to go to the quill shop first?”

  “I know I won’t be able to afford much of anything,” Rose replied, pushing through the door and jingling the bell, “but I can’t wait to see what the new Heddelbum self-inking dodo tips are like. Oh, look! They have an actual working Recalls-It-All pen! It remembers everything you write and can duplicate it perfectly!”

  “Now that would be handy,” James said, his eyes widening. “A pen that can take your tests for you. How much?”

  Rose glanced at James disdainfully. “It’s really amazing how hard you’ll work to avoid the simplest schoolwork, James.”

  “Yeah,” James answered, “Uncle Ron would be proud.”

  The four of them worked their way along the street, stopping in at most of the shops along the way. Cameron bought a new wand holder at Hiram and Blattwott’s Leathers and immediately sheathed his wand in it. He showed it to James and Ralph.

  “Protects the finish while simultaneously enhancing magical properties!” Cameron proclaimed proudly, reading directly from the tag. “The inside is lined with suede and enriched with Wymnot’s Wand Polish and Enchant-Enhancer. It cleans and empowers my wand every time I put it away!”

  “That’s great, Cam,” Ralph nodded. “Er, looks really dashing too.”

  “Thanks!” Cameron grinned. “Hey, can we stop at the newsstand? I want to see if the new issue of Stupendous Stories is available.”

  The newsstand stood on the corner of the High Street and Guddymutter Avenue, and it was the only two-story newsstand James had ever seen. A spiral staircase on the side led to a narrow wrought-iron walkway that encircled the second level. The walkway was packed with wizards and witches browsing every type of newspaper and magazine imaginable. The very peak of the newsstand was a noisy miniature Owlery, twittering with birds of all sizes. They seemed to be coming and going at every moment, each owl attended to by a small man installed at a round desk in the center. As each owl arrived, the little man spun on his chair to retrieve its parcel. Most of these seemed to be small strips of parchment rolled like scrolls and inserted into brass tubes on the owls’ legs. As the man removed the message, he’d turn to a speaking tube and read its contents. The speaking tube carried the man’s voice through a complicated curlicue of expanding pipes and bellows, eventually broadcasting his every word out over the High Street.

  “Breaking news from Turkey,” the man read in a surprisingly deep, baritone voice, “the Grand Vizier of the Wizarding Caliphate, Rajah Hassajah, has died unexpectedly, to be replaced in interim by his assistant, Ahmed al-Mustaphus. International wizarding bank authority to freeze all transactions with the Caliphate until said crisis is satisfactorily managed. Updates as events warrant.”

  “Oh, look who’s on the cover of this month’s Quibbler,” Rose cried delightedly, pulling a copy off a shelf on the lower level. James leaned over Rose’s shoulder, studying the tabloid in her hands. ‘Daughter of Quibbler Founder to Wed’, read the cover headline alongside a photo of Luna Lovegood happily accepting a ring from her new beau, Rolf Scamander. The picture was obviously staged, but Luna’s smile was genuine enough, and the look of happy affection on Rolf’s rather bug-like face was unmistakable. In the photo, Luna took the ring, and then held it out to the camera. It seemed to be made of amber with an insect embedded in it.

  “That’s been done,” Ralph sniffed.

  “Well, I’m happy for her,” Rose said, replacing the tabloid on the rack. “Luna’s hoped to get married for a long time. She wants a family.”

  “How do you know that?” James asked, furrowing his brow. “I’ve known Luna all my life and she’s never said anything about that.”

  Rose looked aloof. “That’s because you haven’t been listening in on the right conversations.”

  Overhead, the Owlery announcer spoke through his amplifying apparatus, “In an update to previous reports, the mysterious sightings of swarms of Dementors throughout Central London have only increased, although no amount of investigation has been able to pinpoint the hive’s origin or predict the locations of any future oppressions. Further, the range of the infestation appears to be increasing daily, reaching into neighboring vicinities at an alarming rate. Muggle reportage of the incidents is gaining precedent, although attributions of the effects are extremely varied. In a breaking development, the Ministry of Magic has announced the creation of an Auror subdepartment to locate and subdue the hive. Meanwhile, many concerned citizens of the magical world are departing the Central London area until the unexplained oppressions are brought under control. Continuing updates as events warrant.”

  Ralph’s face had gone pale. “I heard something about those Dementor swarms when I first went home for the holiday, but I didn’t think anything of it. It seems to have gotten a lot worse now. Do you think this is connected to the descent o
f the Gatekeeper?”

  “It must be,” James said, remembering his earlier conversation with the Headmaster. “Merlin told me that the Borleys were basically baby Dementors. Maybe the Gatekeeper is something like the ultimate Dementor. Maybe the Gatekeeper has assembled all the uncaptured Dementors and is using them to begin its work on the earth!”

  Rose shuddered. “That’s an awful thought! If it’s true, James, then our parents might be in danger, since they work at the Ministry. Especially your dad. If he’s in charge of that Auror subdepartment, he’ll be chasing the Gatekeeper and he won’t even know it! We have to warn them!”

  James knew Rose was right. He nodded. “I’ll send Dad an owl as soon as we get back tonight. I’ll tell him everything we know so far.”

  “But why would the Gatekeeper be using Dementors?” Ralph asked. “I thought it could affect humans directly?”

  Rose answered, “It can, but only a few at a time, for now. It feeds on fear and terror, so it’s using the Dementors to get what it needs. But this proves that it hasn’t found its human host yet. Once it possesses the host, it won’t need the Dementors anymore. It’ll become directly connected to the community of mankind. It’ll be able to affect loads of people all at once, and nothing will be able to stop it.”

  “We need to get both halves of the Beacon Stone before that happens,” James said fervently. “Whoever has the whole stone can still send the Gatekeeper back into the Void, right?”

  “We don’t even know where Slytherin’s half of the stone is,” Ralph lamented. “And the half that we do know about is on the finger of the most powerful wizard in the world. This makes stealing Jackson’s briefcase last year look like a walk in the park.”

  James was unperturbed. “At least we know where Merlin’s Beacon ring is. We just need to find out who might have inherited Slytherin’s Beacon ring.”

  “Well, no problem there,” Ralph said sarcastically. “We just need to trace some mystical black ring through three dozen generations of dark wizards. That should be a breeze!”