G. Lippert - James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper

The ushers outside the amphitheater's main entry saw James coming. Hugo Paulson, resplendent in his red coat and pillbox cap, opened a door for him. "Curry was looking for you," he said as James passed. "They want to get you into your beard right away. Gennifer insists she could charm you to grow a real one for the night, but Curry isn't going for it. Looks like it's glue and goat hair for you after all."

James nodded, hardly hearing Hugo. As he came into the amphitheater he stopped and looked down at the stage. It bustled with activity as the crew manhandled the castle backdrop into place and Professor Curry marched around, testing spotlights and calling for last-minute adjustments. On the stage, Petra glanced up and saw James. She smiled and waved him down. James smiled back, and for the first time he felt a thrill of delight untainted by fear at being part of such an elaborate production. He ran down the main aisle, taking the stairs two at a time.

"There's our Treus," Curry acknowledged as James climbed onto the stage. "Your costume is in the dressing room. Get into it and then get down to make-up, Mr. Potter. Your beard awaits."

James looked around, but there was no sign of Tabitha Corsica. She was probably backstage overseeing the costuming and make-up. He hoped he wouldn't see her as he ducked behind the castle backdrop, heading for the makeshift changing rooms.

The boys' dressing room was crowded with bustling characters struggling into tight-fitting coats, leotards, and baggy pantaloons. Cameron Creevey stopped James as he passed.

"Is this hat on right?" he asked, turning the strange headwear this way and that. "It's a five-corner hat, right? But what corner goes in front? Does it matter?"

"You'll have to ask Gennifer, Cam. I don't have the foggiest notion. Looks fine to me like it is."

"Gennifer's busy in the girls' changing room," Cameron fretted. "I just don't want to look like an idiot in front of everybody!"

Noah called over from the three-way mirror, "Honestly, I think you have it upside down, Cameron. Try flipping it over."

James stopped Cameron as the boy scrambled to invert his hat. "He's winding you up, Cam. Leave it alone."

"And you've got your cummerbund on all wrong," Noah added. "You're supposed to wear it over your bum like a diaper. See how Graham's wearing his?"

James rolled his eyes and took advantage of the overall confusion to slip past Cameron. Sure enough, he found his costume hung on a hook next to his locker. His name had been pinned to the front on a piece of parchment. The curtain wasn't scheduled to go up for nearly an hour, but James couldn't help feeling that he needed to hurry. He was buttoning the last of the many buttons of his vest when a voice spoke directly behind him, startling him badly.

"Hiya, James!" Zane chirped. "Can you give me a quick boost here?"

James turned, exasperated and bemused. "Zane! You have to stop popping up like that!" Impatiently, James produced his wand and shot a quick Stinging Hex at the blonde boy, who yelped in pain and dropped the huge bouquet of flowers he'd been holding.

"Yow!" Zane cried, clutching his bottom. "That really smarts! What was that for?"

"Zane?" James said, reaching out to touch his friend. "It's really you? I thought you were another mad Doppelganger message! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was trying to reach that vase on the shelf there," Zane said, rolling his eyes. "But now I'm thinking I'll just leave this good luck bouquet right there on the floor, what do you say?"

"It really is you!" James said, struggling not to laugh. "I'm really sorry, mate! I thought you needed a magical boost like the other times. I really didn't mean to Sting you in the… but how'd you get here?"

Zane shrugged and grinned. "I got out of school day before yesterday. When I talked to your mum over the holidays, she asked if I'd like to ride along with them to see your big performance. How could I turn it down? My parents agreed and I rode the Floo Network over to your place in London first thing this morning. How 'bout them apples?"

"That's excellent!" James exclaimed. "How long are you here for?"

"Rest of the week, if it's all right with old Merlin Magicpants. You two still on the outs?"

James opened his mouth to explain, then shook his head. "I don't know. It's complicated. Ask me after the show, all right?"

"You got it," Zane nodded. "I better get back out front. Your mum is saving me a place, but it's going to be standing room only, and some of those parents can get pretty cutthroat about seats. By the way, it's probably best if you don't get too close to the red flowers with the yellow tips. Those came from George, and he was grinning an awful lot about 'em."

James nodded seriously, glancing down at the bouquet on the floor. "Understood, thanks."

Damien Damascus pressed toward the boys, a prop sheep under one arm.

"James, come on!" he called. "Gennifer's going to have twin hinkypunks if you aren't wearing a goatee in five minutes. Hey, Zane, need a zap?"

"Nope, I'm good for the night," Zane said, patting his backside. "See you at the party, you guys!"

James scrambled after Damien, struggling to button the last of his buttons and already hot in his tights and waistcoat. After a moment, he stopped, ran back, and grabbed the enormous prop sword and scabbard. Clanking, he trotted to make-up, his stage fright mostly forgotten in the rush of simply getting ready and his happiness at seeing his friend.

Gennifer was holding James' goatee in her hands as he ran up and plopped into a chair.

"Honestly," she said, swabbing the beard with a foul-smelling, yellowish glue, "for the amount of trouble Muggles have to go through to put on a show like this, I'm surprised they do it at all."

"Maybe that's why they watch so much telly," Victoire commented from a nearby chair. "My mum says Muggle children spend more time in front of the telly than they do asleep."

Damien was still standing nearby. He sniffed, "But not as much time as Victoire spends in front of the mirror every day, so that's all right, then."

Victoire scoffed, ignoring the laughter that followed.

Five minutes later, James stood offstage alongside Petra, who looked beautiful, if a bit overstuffed, in her huge pink dress and curls. James peered carefully around the edge of the curtain. The amphitheater was indeed almost full, with loads more people still filing in, seeking seats, and babbling enthusiastically. James scanned the crowd, finally finding his mum in the middle section, ten rows back. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron sat on her right, apparently arguing over who was going to handle the Omnioculars. Ted Lupin sat next to Ron. He'd shortened his hair again, although it was still longer than it had been when he'd been in school last year. He looked much better than the last time James had seen him, although still slightly bedraggled. On Ginny's left, Lily sat up straight in her good yellow dress. She spied James and grinned, waving excitedly. James smiled back at her and waved surreptitiously, trying not to attract anyone else's attention. He placed a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, and she nodded, pretending to zip her lips. As James watched, Zane sidled past a group of annoyed parents, heading toward the empty seat between George and Lily. Satisfied, James turned back to Petra and the assembling actors. Nearby, Scorpius was dressed in a soldier's outfit similar to James'. He didn't seem to be enjoying it.

"Nervous?" Petra asked quietly.

"Yeah," James nodded, "but excited, too. You?"

Petra turned to look out at the dark stage behind the curtain. She shook her head slowly. "Not any more. It'll all be over tonight, no matter what."

Jason Smith trotted out of the backstage darkness, his wand lit. "Anybody seen Corsica?" he whispered harshly, looking from face to face.