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

"But I didn't mean to!" James blurted. "I was trying to stop it!"

Merlin held up a hand. "It matters not to the Gatekeeper. I sensed it homing in on you, learning of you, all in that moment in the graveyard, even as Lucius Malfoy was speaking to it. I sensed you in its thoughts, James, and that is when I stepped out into the open, to distract it. I called to the Gatekeeper, identifying myself as the bearer of the Beacon Stone. It remembered me from my time in the Void. The first thing it did was ask for you, James. I told it as sternly as I could that you knew nothing of it, that you would never consent to be its host. But it laughed. It told me that you had already sought it out, and that you were watching at that very moment. Lucius Malfoy looked and saw you, reflected in the window of an abandoned shack nearby. He pointed at you, and the Gatekeeper smiled. It had known you'd been watching from the moment it turned its attention to finding you, James. I turned and saw your reflection for myself. I knew I had to get back, to warn you, but you closed the Focusing Book, shutting me out. It took me much of a day to get back to the castle by other methods, and by then, I had determined a rather different opinion of you, I am afraid."

"You'd decided I was on the Gatekeeper's side?" James asked, perplexed.

"Not consciously," Merlin answered. "No more than Petra Morganstern was on the Gatekeeper's side. I decided you were being manipulated by it, and by your own desires. I regret to admit this, James, but I feared that your desire to be like your father was being exploited, used by the Gatekeeper and the forces of chaos. When your mother's Howler went off, telling us all that she believed you'd stolen the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map, it further convinced me that you were, in fact, working toward the Gatekeeper's ends. I decided to watch and to wait, hoping that I was wrong about you. And then, when your own sister went missing on the night of the play, I knew that it was the moment of truth. I could scarcely believe you'd harm her, but those in the thrall of deception have done even worse things than murder their sisters. I planned to take you away from the school, removing you from whatever plan the Gatekeeper had for you. You foiled me, of course, by the simple expedient of being young and quick. Even then, I could have taken you had I truly wished to. In my deepest heart, however, I had decided to trust you—and fate. It was my own trial of the cord, much like your test, James, in the cave of my cache. You chose to hold onto the golden cord even though letting go would have been far easier. Thus, I chose to hold onto the one thin cord of trust in you as well. If I did so foolishly, then the world would not last long enough to blame me. As it turns out, however, that moment of trust was indeed wise. In fact, I believe it saved us all."

James blew out a sigh. "Wow. So that was why you were so secretive and scary that day in your office."

"The portrait told me it was a mistake," Merlin admitted, glancing aside. "Dumbledore did not approve of my attitude toward you, and told me so upon your departure."

From the wall behind James, Dumbledore's voice spoke. "I was nothing if not respectful, Merlinus. But yes, I did warn you that you doubted the boy at your own peril."

Merlin nodded. "Yes, you made your point quite clear, as I recall."

"I am cursed with the burden of helping those who've succeeded me to not make the same mistakes I did," Dumbledore said, looking at Merlin, then Harry. "I myself only learned these lessons mere days before my death. Too late to make much of a difference, although I did what little I could."

Harry nodded, unsmiling. "So what is to be done with Petra Morganstern, then?"

Merlin shrugged, returning to his desk. "She is guilty of possession of stolen property in the form of the Invisibility Cloak and kidnapping Lily Potter. As Head Auror, the owner of the Cloak, and the girl's father, Harry Potter, I might ask you the same thing."

Harry thought seriously for a long moment. Finally, he looked at James. "I won't be pressing any charges," he said. "James, do you agree?"

James nodded. "She didn't know what she was doing, Dad. And when I showed her how she was being deceived, she turned things around really quickly. She doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"Be very aware of what you are doing, my friends," Merlin said quietly. "Miss Morganstern is a very complicated young woman."

"But she isn't evil," James said emphatically.

"No more than you are, James, or your father, or I myself. And yet I, at least, have wrought great evil, all in the name of love. We are all capable of evil, depending on the choices we make and the philosophies we embrace. The greater the potential for good in any of us, the greater the opposite potential for wickedness. Miss Morganstern has, to say the very least, great, great potential. The only question is how she will choose to invest it."

"But she did the right thing," Harry said. "In my experience, those who choose to do right usually get addicted to it. The soul of Voldemort has a toe-hold in her, yes; she can't help that. But she has proven that it isn't enough to rule her."

"It is enough to divide her," Merlin answered. "And she will never conquer that one small part of her that belongs to him. It will always be there, wheedling, poisoning, tempting, lying. Further, his power is her power. She has shown that she uses that power—granted, for good, so far, such as in healing Albus' leg—but how long will she be able to control it? Even now, she leaves these walls to return to a loveless and bitter life. She has denied herself the return of her own parents so that Lily and you, James, might live. Meanwhile, she watches you go home to loving parents and a life she can only dream of. Don't think that, despite her actions, she will not lie awake on cold, lonely nights, pining hopelessly for her dead parents, and wondering, wondering, if on that fateful night in the Chamber of Secrets she made the wrong choice."

James shook his head, not wanting to believe it. "She'd never think that. Petra is good."

"She wants to be good," Merlin agreed. "I will grant you that, James. Let us hope that that is enough."

Harry approached James and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Scorpius has agreed to help us locate his Grandfather Lucius. He's actually a little more enthusiastic about it than I'm comfortable with, to tell you the truth, but his grandfather's lies and manipulations have turned the boy into quite a valuable ally for us. Still," he said, turning his attention to Merlin, "what of Tabitha Corsica? She's returned the map. Apart from Stunning Ralph, she hasn't technically done anything wrong whatsoever, despite her best efforts. I have no jurisdiction over her at all."

"Leave her to me," Merlin replied, sitting down at his desk again. "She is not so far gone that she cannot be helped. I have known someone like her."

"You're kidding!" James said, getting to his feet as his father prepared to leave. "You think Petra's going to go all Dark Lord on us, but you think there's hope for Corsica just because you've 'known someone like her'?"

Merlin looked up at James, his brow lowered. "Perhaps I misspoke," he said, his voice rumbling. "What I meant to say was I have been someone like her."

James stared at the Headmaster, frowning in consternation, but Harry steered him away with his hand. "Come on, son," he said, smiling a little. "The Headmaster has a lot to do. I saw your performance on the Omnioculars, by the way. You're quite the little actor. Makes me wonder about the time you told me you had nothing to do with that broken clock in the parlor, eh?"

James changed the subject as quickly as he could. "So are you heading home right away?"

"No, actually," Harry answered, closing Merlin's door. "I'm going to check in on Albus down in the Slytherin quarters. And then I, er, owe someone a visit, apparently."